Professional Builders Merchant

Interest in fire safety hots up in 2013

The BWF-CERTIFIRE website has received more than 26,000 visits from 21,215 unique visitors in the UK since January 2013, an increase of more than 350% on the same period last year.

House sales are now at their peak since 2010

The amount of homes sold in the UK over the past three months reached its highest level since January 2010 according to the latest RICS residential market survey.

New online resource explains the Green Deal initiative

The National Skills Academy for Environmental Technologies has launched an online resource to provide a comprehensive introduction to the Green Deal and the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), ideal for anyone looking to deliver services under these schemes.

Decision goes against the use of labeling heat pump packaging

The Manufacturers’ Association of Radiators and Convectors (MARC) have praised the recent decision against labeling certain radiators as unusable.

Wrekin Products discuss their geogrid opportunities for merchants

Civils specialists Wrekin Products reports that it has seen a big increase in the sales of geogrids through builders’ merchants and further reveals that around half of all suitable civil engineering projects are already benefiting from the technology. The company’s Sales Director Simon Turner discusses the reasons for this growth — and the opportunities for merchants — with geogrid expert Nigel Wrigley.

A cash flow crisis for small businesses

UK SMEs are currently owed more than £36 billion in late payments, causing serious cash flow problems — but figures from Barclays show that they are fighting back. PBM reveals more.

Delays in the Renewable Heat Incentive

The Government has recently announced a further delay to the Renewable Heat Incentive. PBM considers some of the industry’s reaction to the news.

Recent DECC figures reveal the Green Deal is beginning to gather momentum, highlighting the appetite for implementing sustainability upgrades to domestic repair, maintenance and improvement projects. Homeowners and industry alike will, however, continue to have to wait for a different strata of green building enticements following the Government’s announcement of a delay to April 2014 of the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), a policy originally due to be implemented three years earlier.

Permit parking: The planning policy reforms

As readers will know, the Government is reforming the planning policy system in England on several fronts. One is extending existing Permitted Development Rights with Ministers wanting to boost local economic activity by removing barriers in the way that hinder small building projects. In the first of a two-part article, BMF Policy Manager Brett Amphlett discusses the Government’s intentions and summarises the arguments the Federation put forward when formally responding.

A female touch in the heating and plumbing industry

The heating and plumbing industry has traditionally been seen as male dominated, but is this still an accurate representation with so many successful women making a name for themselves? With the annual International Women’s Day fresh in mind, held recently on March 8th, PBM talks to a selection of female employees at merchant chain PTS to discuss the current view of the industry and how it can progress further.

Company Profile: Nicholls and Clarke

The story of Nicholls & Clarke can be traced back more than 130 years and in that time the London-based company has expanded into being both a sizeable builders’ merchant operation and a manufacturer of building products. PBM takes a closer look, focusing on the N&C Nicobond tiling solutions side of the business.