COMPANY FOCUS: TIMCO
STOCK ANSWERS– KEEPING MERCHANT RANGES FLEXIBLE
BMJ finds out how one distributor is helping its merchant customers manage their stockholdings.
I
f you don’t have stock, you can’t sell it. Yet when there is too much stock, cash is tied up. Conversely, when there isn’t enough stock, customers will have to buy their products elsewhere. Welcome to the daily balancing act facing merchants as their customers continue to expect faster service and a wider range of availability. Trade essentials distributor TIMCO has shaped a clear response to this dilemma. The business has been looking closely at how its merchant customers are buying, where the friction points appear inside the branch, and what kind of supplier support helps merchants stay responsive, without taking on unnecessary stock risk, and tying up too much capital.
The result is a service model built around faster replenishment, broader product coverage, digital ordering and direct account support. The aim is to help merchants keep availability high, protect capital and encourage more product confidence.
Changing buying habits TIMCO has been trading in Cheshire for almost 55 years. Well known across the builders’ merchant landscape, it also supplies to agricultural, electrical, plumbing and engineering customers, giving its team a broad view of how trade purchasing habits are changing. And one pattern is clear from this. Customers want less complexity and the confidence that products can be sourced quickly.
To meet these requirements, TIMCO has lowered barriers to ordering in certain categories, created smaller pack formats and offered next-day delivery. This supports merchants that are placing smaller, more frequent orders to protect cash flow, while still maintaining availability.
John Gregson, national trading manager at TIMCO, explains: “The aim is to help merchants keep stock disciplined while still saying yes to their customers. If we can deliver next day and make it simple to order in the quantities that they need, it takes
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pressure off the branch, supports cash flow and keeps the customer happy.” Online ordering has become another way the business is reducing pressure on merchants. Direct to site delivery was introduced just before 2020, when only 10% of customers were ordering through the portal for direct delivery. Today, as ordering habits and customer’s use of digitalisation has increased, around 60% of orders are placed through the website.
This change reflects the way many merchants now want to work. They need ordering to be quick, accurate and easy to manage. They also need product information that helps them identify the right items, understand compatible accessories and spot relevant add-on opportunities. Product information management is therefore a critical part of the wider service. Better data helps merchants make faster decisions and gives teams greater confidence when advising customers. It also supports merchants developing their own digital sales channels, where accurate and consistent product information is increasingly important.
Working with NMBS TIMCO is an NMBS supplier - and one of the largest in its category. NMBS is the UK’s largest trading platform and connector for the builders’ merchant sector. Originally established over 60 years ago as a buying society, it has evolved dramatically. Today, it still drives its members’ commercial growth but also exists to help merchants trade smarter,
via financial, digital and data platforms. TIMCO is using its position with NMBS to build stronger connections with
merchants.For example, NMBS insights help the company to understand where its range and service model could provide useful support and further product offerings to its customers. This matters because merchants need suppliers that understand the pressures of running local branches, managing cash carefully and offering a range of products to customers. NMBS gives suppliers a route to engage with those challenges more directly, while giving merchants access to supplier partners already thinking about availability, branch efficiency and stock opportunities. Dean Hayward, head of sales and marketing at NMBS, says: “When merchants are under pressure to be faster and leaner, supplier service becomes a competitive advantage. TIMCO’s focus on flexibility and next-day fulfilment helps merchants reduce friction, protect stockholding and meet customer needs consistently.”
The pressure on merchants is unlikely to ease quickly. Customers will continue to expect fast answers, reliable availability and knowledgeable service, while branches will need to keep stock lean and margins protected.
Gregson adds: “If we only supplied one range, we would make life harder for our customers. Our job is to make it easier for merchants to get what they need, when they need it, with the support behind it that keeps them confident in front of their own customers.” BMJ
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net September 2026
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