h&b has secured its latest new merchant member in Darlaston Builders Merchants in the West Midlands. The five-branch operation becomes the UK’s leading independent buying group’s newest recruit taking the total membership to 105.
Darlaston is a family-owned and -run plumbing merchant set up 35 years ago with the original founder still serving as MD and two of his sons on the board. The company, which turns over more than £16 million, started out with one branch in Darlaston but the tally now stands at five, with four depots in Darlaston, Wednesbury, West Bromwich, and Birmingham plus a well-established plumbing outlet also in Darlaston. The company has ambitious expansion plans with a new depot in Walsall due to open in September this year, and another following hard on its heels in central Birmingham in Q2 2021.
“With the growth we have seen in recent years we decided that the next phase should be to step up to a substantial buying group to allow us to compete really effectively with the nationals and put us on a more substantial footing with the major suppliers,” says Steve Lally, Operations Director at Darlaston. “We are really looking forward to reaping the benefits, especially in the form of competitive buying. This will help us to grow our business further, particularly with two new branch openings we have planned. We are already impressed with the remarkable scope of deals that have opened up to us on joining h&b, giving us access to more new, innovative and profitable product ranges.”
Independent merchants wishing to join h&b can email admin@handbgroup.com
