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The BMF has spent 2008 celebrating 100 years of service to the industry. At the Builders Merchants Awards for Excellence awards ceremony in November, they came face to face with a memento from their half-century celebrations.
Tony Swain, m... more
As the latest industry statistics point to an increasingly gloomy outlook, the BMF is urging the merchant trade to focus afresh on ways of encouraging the home improvement market.The November State Of Trade survey from the Construction Products Assoc... more
BMF has responded to a Government consultation on a proposed regulation to replace the current Construction Products Directive and tighten up the use of CE marking for construction products. We are concerned about requirements in the regulations that... more
Thought-provoking business sessions and a full social calendar provided non-stop stimulus for delegates at this year’s BMF North West Regional Conference. Several delegates commented that this was the best conference for years, as m... more
When it comes to the bottom line, online trading has the potential to offer merchants some real benefits. The internet enables customers and merchants who would otherwise never have heard of one another to do business together – often at times ... more
BMF are supportive of the HSE’s decision to move the contract for the gas installer registration scheme from CORGI to CAPITA.
“We are particularly pleased to see CAPITA’s stated commitment to concentrate on operating a gas installe... more
Fears that merchants might be left with unsalable stocks if the Health & Safety Executive decide to put pressure on Merchants to stop selling blocks weighing more than 20kgs have now receded, following pressure from the BMF and the block-mak... more
After months of lobbying alongside other industry groups, the BMF has welcomed the government’s decision to postpone the planned 2p per litre fuel duty escalator, originally planned for October. But this does nothing to reduce the problem... more
This year's THE Conference in Tenerife was said by many to be the "best for years".Chris Pateman, BMF Managing Director, commented:"With the market as uncertain as it currently is, this was arguably the most important conference for se... more
THE Conference explored the hitherto unconsidered opportunities in 'pod' building - entire rooms assembled off-site in factories.Over recent years, the use of factory-assembled building modules, such as bathroom ‘pods’, has become increas... more
One of the key elements of this year's THE Conference was a down-to-earth double act between Simon Blaxill representing the merchants interests, and Paul Hetherington for the suppliers.
“Considering how well we know one another, and how closel... more
With so much of THE Conference’s emphasis on markets, sales and supplier/merchant relationships, it was interesting to see another industry fundamental being firmly addressed as part of the seminar agenda. At any one time, Britain’s build... more
New housing starts this year are forecast to be down 20% on last year’s figures, making 2008 the worst year for house-building since 1945. That’s according to the latest forecasts from the Construction Products Association, who took... more
The Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) is lending its weight to the protest against the 2p rise in diesel duty planned for October. As a major user of road transport vehicles, transport costs are second only to wage costs as the biggest operat... more
New EU legislation which threatens to cut both heating installers and small merchants out of the supply chain for heating systems is being vigorously opposed by the Builders Merchants Federation. The BMF is voicing serious concerns about the po... more
The Government has asked the Low Pay Commission to prepare a further report on the National Minimum Wage (NMW) by the end of February 2009.
Click here to download a letter explaining how you can submit evidence to the Low Pay Commission's consultati... more
BMF Members’ concerns about the rising impact of fuel costs were top of the agenda when BMF Chairman, Kevin Cubbage met Baroness Shriti Vadera, Business Minister, at Westminster on Monday April 21st, as part of a delegation from the Constr... more
The financial indicators in the BMF’s annual merchant industry KPIs financial performance survey point to a market in which nett profitability is getting harder to find.
The report, unique in the industry, compares key financial ratios from a ... more
Managing Director, Chris Pateman, gave a presentation recently to a 70 strong audience which included large and medium sized Building Contractors, UCATT etc at a Health & Safety seminar about reducing the risks in handling heavy blocks.
Mr Patem... more
PTS, the national lightside merchants, are rejoining the BMF.
Alan Ball, PTS Managing Director, said: “We have rejoined the BMF because it is through organisations like this that we can help the industry to grow. The BMF has a core role to pla... more
Jewson, the UK’s largest mixed merchant chain, has re-joined the Builders Merchants Federation following an absence of 3 years.
Jewson Managing Director Peter Hindle said the decision was a reflection both of the company’s commitment to ... more
BMF has been acclaimed as a GOOD provider of training by the government inspection team (ALI). The inspectors were particularly impressed with the additional industry specific qualifications and courses, and BMF's achievement rates which are do... more
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New BMF Selling Guides now available to Members
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