Ferguson — US-based parent company of UK plumbers merchant chain Wolseley UK — saw revenue fall 0.9% for the year to 31 July to $21.8bn (£17bn). Despite this, the plumbing giant is to resume paying a year-end dividend to shareholders. Profit before tax fell 4.8 per cent to $1.26bn (£980m) from $1.3bn (£1.01bn) in 2019. […]

Etex Group has bought FSi Limited, the UK manufacturer and supplier of firestopping products. With an annual turnover of around £20 million, FSi ‘s product portfolio includes intumescent sealants and ablative-coated stone wool batts. The move strengthens Etex’s ability to provide comprehensive lightweight construction solutions for clients through its Building Performance division, in particular complementing […]

Builders merchants’ trade association the Builders Merchants Federation has published its first Builders Merchants Industry Forecast Report to take account of the Covid-19 pandemic. Interrupted and unsettling trading patterns during the first six months of 2020 made the second half of the year more difficult to predict.  Initial forecasts expected average growth to decline by […]

UK timber company Premier Forest Group has been listed in the annual Sunday Times PwC Top Track 250 league table which ranks Britain’s leading mid-market private companies. The inclusion of the Newport-based company reflects its strong financial performance, and also its work supporting the NHS during the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly the creation of the Nightingale […]

Wolseley, the plumbing, heating and cooling trade specialist merchant, is evolving its brand to highlight and signpost its key specialisms, under the banners of Wolseley Pipe and Wolseley Climate. John Hancock, managing director of Wolseley Pipe and Wolseley Climate, says: “In January 2018 our business brought together its different units under a single Wolseley brand. As […]

Independent plumbers merchant Gills Plumbing & Heating in Welwyn Garden City completed a rebrand in early-March and had planned to invite customers in to show-off the new look store. However, the Covid-19 pandemic caused the country lockdown and the proved impossible. The merchant, a member of the IPG buying group, quickly adapted to new customer […]

Plumbing and heating merchant City Plumbing is helping its customers by offering a free  30 minute webinar to help guide them through the government’s new Green Homes Grants scheme. Running from September until November 2020,  the webinars will be led by Steve Alldritt, technical director of City Plumbing’s Energy Efficiency Team. The sessions will cover an […]