COMMENT
The future has already started
I
know a man who spent all his working life as a builder’s merchant, reaching some pretty heady heights in the sector. About 15 years ago, he told me that, by now, the industry would comprise no more than two major national merchant chains, and a handful of tiny independents. He was wrong. Admittedly, this was said at a time when national chains were hoovering up independent businesses like it was going out of fashion. Which, in effect, it did.
I’m reminded of this because of all the current chatter around the future of merchanting, and how modern day merchant branches might operate. At last month’s BMF Members Day Conference the topic was Engaging With the Future, and featured Insight Group’s Steve Collinge talking about the joint project that he, the BMF, and LEK Consulting have been working on. Namely, The Builders Merchants Branch of the Future. We have covered some of Collinge’s presentation in this issue and, with the actual 119- page report having just been released, will be going into greater depth with it in due course. In summary, the UK builders’ merchants’ market is, thanks to new, younger customers with different expectations of what comprises good service, and the relentless charge of technology into every aspect of our lives, at a pivotal point. The report goes into a great deal of detail, including a host of interviews with many of the great and good of the sector. It boils things down to seven pillars that, it says, “will define the next generation of builders merchant branches”. Those pillars include convenience at the top. Tradespeople have one resource they value above all others, and that is time. So, any modern merchant must offer its customers what they will require in order to fit with the pace of change, whether that be click and collect, App-based availability or real-time visibility on stock lines.
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Those stock lines need to be the right ones, which means close relationships with suppliers, and use of data will be vital. As will keeping on top of regulations, and product developments, because merchants are increasingly going to be seen as the place to go for advice.
Pricing too, in the modern world, will change, with an end to opaque payments and discount structures. The modern customer wants to know exactly what they are going to pay for their products, and they will want to be able to pay in a way that best fits their business needs. Personalisation and loyalty are another pillar. Customers will want to be seen as individuals, not account numbers. They will be looking for tailored offers, and an understanding of their own business requirements.
The report concludes these pillars aren’t something to be brought in sometime in the future, they are for now. They aren’t for tomorrow’s merchant; they are for today’s.
I agree. However, I’d also add that much of this is already being done by merchants. Has always been done. Delivery when and where the customer wants it – check. And yes, that has long included click and collect and out-of-hours delivery. Loyalty gained through understanding the customer’s business – check. A place to go for advice - check. Close relationships with suppliers, the sharing of data - check.
The world is changing and merchants need to change too if they are to remain relevent to their customers’ needs. But they have always done that. Those that have understood the need for adaptability and change have embraced it. That’s why we are where we are now, and my friend was, so far, wrong. BMJ
Fiona Russell-Horne Group Managing Editor - BMJ
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42 BMF Industry Voice The latest from the Builders Merchants Federation
44 Product News What’s new from suppliers
46 And Finally
The Pavestone Rally in pictures - the publishable ones - and the Prize Crossword
October 2025
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net 3 “ Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future, And time future contained in time past
TS Eliot ”
CONTENTS 4 Newsround
What’s happening in the sector 8 News Extra
The BMF Members Day Conference reported 14 People
Who’s moving where, and 10 Minutes With…
16 Business Helpdesk What’s concerning BMF Members 18 In Person
David Kilburn reflects on 30 years of MKM 20 Viewpoint
Our Guest columnists talk Skills, Storage and Security
26 Merchant Focus Building on broader experience to grow
30 Product Focus BMJ takes a look at Decorativo
32 Timber
Imports and sustainable practice 35 Transport
The logistics and legacy of merchant drivers
38 Bathrooms and Showers Choosing the right products for a population’s changing needs
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