COMMENT


Be more wise about water


W


hat do we all use, probably far too much of in this country, that we cannot live without? That we cannot function without? Water.


And yet we waste so much of it.


This year, there simply hasn’t been enough of the wet stuff falling from the skies. More than two-thirds of England and the whole of Wales are experiencing official drought conditions. And yet, in January and February, there was 70% more rainfall in the UK that we would normally expect, thanks to an unusually strong jet stream, and a high-pressure system that stubbornly refused to move from Scandinavia. In fact, there was so much rain no-one could get onto building sites. The issue is that we have too much rainfall where and when we don’t need it, and not enough where and when we do need it. The other allied issue is that when we do get it, we don’t use it properly.


So, the Waterwise Summit that we cover in this issue couldn’t have come at a more, well, timely time. It aimed to address one of the UK’s most pressing environmental challenges: how we can reduce water consumption and make better use of the water we already have?


The population in growing, our infrastructure is ageing and – despite what the deniers would have you believe – the climate is changing, increasing pressure on our water resources. The need to act isn’t urgent. The bus to urgent left long ago. The situation is dire.


If this next bit seems vaguely familiar, it’s because I’ve already written it, in a blog back in June. Here’s an idea: incentivise people to retrofit items that will help them reduce their water consumption. A government grant, similar maybe to those offered for solar panels or heat pumps, to retrofit rainwater harvesting systems. You used


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EDITORIAL


Group Managing Editor: Fiona Russell Horne 01622 699101 07721 841382 frussell-horne@datateam.co.uk


Assistant editor Oliver Stanley 01622 699106


ostanley@datateam.co.uk


Production Controller: Nic Mandeville


to be able to get garden water butts free from the council, so the principle isn’t unknown. We need some kind of system where it’s easy to retrofit a system so that rainwater is used to flush the loo, supply the washing machine, or wash the car. Or, where rainwater harvesting simply isn’t practical or economic, then a scheme that allows people to retrofit water-saving items within the home, like they did with TRVs back in the 1990s. It seems utter madness that we use what is, essentially, perfectly potable water to flush our loos, clean the car and wash clothes. The Government is already looking at the updated Part G requirements of the Building Regulations to mandate significantly tighter water efficiency in new homes alongside the Future Homes Standard rollout. Households aren’t the only places where water scarcity will cause problems. Businesses, particularly hospitality businesses, use lots of water. I know some in my area that still haven’t had compensation for water outages at the beginning of this year that cost them tens of thousands in lost revenue.


As Julia Buckley, MP for Shrewsbury, who spoke at the Waterwise Summit, wrote to the Chancellor of the Exchequer in advance of the Budget, “As businesses face increasing pressures associated with water availability and rising utility costs, there is a strong case for incentivising investment in water efficiency, reuse and management technologies through the tax system.” Acting now to prevent problems in the future is essential, but needs to be incentivised. It’s too important and urgent to leave it to our sense of what is right for the planet. BMJ


Fiona Russell-Horne Group Managing Editor - BMJ


“ Thousands have


lived without love, not one without water.


WH Auden ”


CONTENTS 4 Newsround


What’s happening in the sector


8 News Extra: BMF Members Day


Coverage from the BMF Members Day Conference


17 News Extra: Waterwise Experts in water management come together


19 Viewpoint Our guest columnists share their insights


24 Merchant Focus: JW Grant Getting closer to your local community


26 Merchant Focus: Nu Independent


The journey from affiliate to full NMBS membership


28 Merchant Focus: Forge Using NMBS’s centralised B2B e-commerce platform


29 Merchant Focus: Bence A reshuffle at SLT level to help lead the company into the future


30 Transport ADVERTISING


Group Sales Manager: Dawn Tucker 01622 699148 07934 731232 dtucker@datateam.co.uk


Media Account Executive Morgan Borthwick-Hunter mborthwick-hunter@datateam. co.uk


01622 699126


Publisher: Paul Ryder


pryder@datateam.co.uk © Datateam Business Media Ltd 2026


All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means, electronic or mechanical including photo-copying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without the prior written consent of the publisher. The title Builders Merchants Journal is registered at Stationers’ Hall. Suppliers have contributed towards production costs of some photographs in this issue.


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A view from the passenger seat


34 Bathrooms and Showers The new face of bathrooms


38 Industry Voice The latest news from the BMF


40 Product News What’s new from suppliers 42 And Finally


Sector news and the Prize Crossword October 2026 www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net 3


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