STARK spends €335 million acquiring Saint Gobain’s German builders’ merchant business
STARK Group has signed an agreement with Compagnie de Saint Gobain SA, to acquire German builders’ merchant Saint Gobain Building Distribution Deutschland GmbH, SGBDD. The move gives STARK a much larger footprint in the builders’ merchant industry in Northern Europe. The purchase includes a nationwide network of 220 branches and circa 5,000 employees, serving customers in […]
NMBS reveals plans to ‘automate and innovate’ at conference
Senior members of the NMBS team have revealed how the buying society aims to ‘automate and innovate’ to build on its success, at the recent NMBS Conference. The Conference took place at the Grand Hotel Dino in the surroundings of Lake Maggiore, Baveno, Italy. Over 500 delegates attended the three-day event, which focused on collaboration, […]
UNIFIX CASE STUDY: MORGANS GROUP
What are the deciding factors for merchants when choosing which fastener brand to stock? Torque asks Gemma Cap, Owner of Morgans Group, for the stockist perspective. Headquartered in Oswestry, Shropshire, family business Morgans Builders Merchants has been in the merchanting business for over 60 years. The agricultural, DIY and builders merchant stocks everything from construction supplies to bespoke sheds […]
Solid 2018 start for Travis Perkins despite weather disruption
Regardless of the impact of poor weather, the ‘Beast from the East‘ and having fewer trading days thanks to an Early Easter, Travis Perkins (TP) delivered a solid Q1. Like-for-like sales growth reached 3.0%, with total sales growth of 2.4%. TP saw a particularly strong performance in Plumbing & Heating (like-for-like sales growth of 19.7%) […]
Local tool merchant Tool Central hit by New Year thieves
West Yorkshire independent merchant Tool Central suffered a substantial break in before it reopened for business in the new year. At 9pm on 2 January, three men broke into Tool Central and took a large selection of stock. The entrance and office to the Bingley shop was also damaged, according to the merchant’s Facebook page. […]