Independent Builders Merchant Group (IBMG) has acquired the Colchester and Bury St Edmunds builders’ merchant operations of Kent Blaxill.
Trading from two sites – in Suffolk and Essex – the acquisition expands IBMG’s builders’ merchant network into East Anglia for the first time, and provides a strong platform for further growth in the region. Kent Blaxill’s painting & decorating business will continue to operate under the leadership of PaintWell, which took over the wider business late last year.
Mark Ward, Branch Director, will remain with the business and will be working with Allun Pittingale, IBMG’s Group Managing Director South East and IBMG’s leadership team to integrate the two businesses and “realise the potential that this partnership brings.” The two branches will now operate as Kent Blaxill Builders Merchants.
IBMG CEO Martin Stables said: “Independent Builders Merchant Group is essentially carving out the builders’ merchant operations of the PaintWell-owed Kent Blaxill network. The acquisition makes perfect business sense for the builders’ merchanting side of Kent Blaxill who will benefit from our expertise in supplying the small and medium sized builder, backed by our best in class builders’ merchanting infrastructure and systems.
“For IBMG, the Colchester and Bury St Edmunds branches are highly complementary in terms of product offering and will merge seamlessly into our network of branches. It’s also very exciting to extend our presence in East Anglia with locations in Suffolk and Essex marking virgin geographical territory for the Builders Merchant arm of the Group.”
Keith Reville, CEO of PaintWell, said: “Our shared values, vision and commitment to our builder customers make this an obvious partnership. IBMG is leading the way in customer service and provides endless opportunities for growth and innovation – adding immense value to our offering. As a result, we are confident that our integration will be smooth and that our staff and customers will benefit hugely from being part of IBMG.”
IBMG generates revenues in excess of £650 million and now owns 174 merchant branches throughout the South of England which, with this latest acquisition, now includes 86 builders’ merchant branches. According to the company, more than 100,000 trade customers rely on IBMG branches every week.
