Online DIY marketplace, Plane & Simple has launched in the Northwest of England, further extending its “big and bulky building materials distribution network” of builders’ merchants across the UK.
Plane & Simple offers access to high quality building materials and home improvement supplies. This specialist marketplace for the building materials sector connects trusted local independent merchants with online DIY consumers, providing incremental sales from a higher margin customer set.
With a shift in online behaviour increasingly moving towards specialist marketplaces, more merchants are now looking to capitalise on this trend. Four new merchants have already signed up as partners in the North West, with several more currently planned to go live in the near future.
As well as the North West, Plane & Simple has partners in Central Scotland; Devon and Cornwall; South East England and Central London. By entering a postcode, customers are paired with a selection of merchant partners in their area, and a full range of building supplies and products are delivered directly to their door.
The premise of the online marketplace is to support and champion independent builders’ merchants, with dedicated pages for each merchant partner and an instant e-commerce route that they may not previously have had access to. It also allows DIYers to easily purchase a full range of building materials, regardless of size, from the comfort of their own home.
Glen Stocco, Co-Founder of Plane & Simple, said: “We’ve seen fantastic growth since we first set up in 2020 and are proud to be expanding regionally with this move into the North West. 60% of online sales are now on marketplaces, and this growth has been driven by a specialist focus – such as fashion, circular economy, and home furnishings marketplaces.
“Plane & Simple is the specialist marketplace for the building materials sector and we’re thrilled to see so many merchants recognising the benefits of partnering with us. We have interest from merchants right across the UK, so we’re excited to be advancing our growth strategy.”
Plane & Simple, a Service Member of the BMF, is said to make it easy for independent merchants to try this new way of selling – from joining all the way through to receiving orders. Once a merchant signs on as a partner, they benefit from market insight, regular monitoring and additional marketing to drive online sales.
With a targeted approach, the platform also allows merchants to set the areas that they are selling to, with full control over delivery areas.
Plane & Simple is part of the Donaldson Group. Currently led by the sixth generation of Donaldsons, the 163-year-old Group comprises a total of 17 specialist timber and building product businesses and brands, operating throughout the UK from 45 locations employing over 1,500 people.
