FACE TO FACE

Building Superstore is the dedicated trade account service for CMO, reputedly the largest “online only builders’ merchant” in the UK. Building Superstore brings together all eight specialist superstores to provide professional trade contractors easy access to over 100,000 different products, from roofing and insulation materials to plumbing, drainage and landscaping solutions, tiles, doors, windows, and bathroom supplies.

Formerly known as CMO Trade, Building Superstore’s extensive product range, strong supply chains and effective ‘drop ship’ model, also allows the retailer to support other builders’ merchants, as well as housebuilders and main contractors.

QHow did you get into the industry and to your current position?

AI have always worked in the merchant sector and have somehow managed to clock up nearly 16 years! I started out in a general administrative role but soon moved up to sales and logistics.

When I joined CMO in 2010, I looked after operations before being appointed to my current role of Commercial Director. I now oversee the commercial trading performance for all eight specialist superstores, including Building Superstore which is our dedicated trade brand.

QHow do you feel the industry has changed in recent years?

AThe greater use of digital technology, ecommerce and even social media is shaping the way merchants service their customers both in terms of delivering products and providing support. It’s been an exciting change so far but there’s still lots more that we can do — the digital landscape is evolving all the time.

Our trade customers are becoming more digitally savvy which means that merchants who aren’t investing in their digital presence now will soon find themselves falling behind.

Even as an online-only retailer, we don’t feel immune to this challenge and in such a fast-paced and constantly evolving arena, it’s important to always push forward to not only meet our customers’ expectations of service but to exceed them important role to play in reducing embedded carbon in transportation and packaging.

QWhat are the current challenges facing your company?

AI think any company that serves the building and construction industry faces similar challenges. Global pressures such as material shortages and prices increases can still be felt, and the cost of living crisis has affected both trade contractors and the DIY market that we serve via our other superstores.

Above all, we need to make the whole process easier for customers so they can make more informed choices. This is an area that we are currently investing in so that we can add more detailed environmental information to our online product pages.

QWhat has been your biggest challenge so far?

ALike many, I would have to say lockdown and the COVID-19 pandemic but although they were dark days, I am immensely proud of how we responded to this challenge. Unlike other merchants, we already had a strong digital presence and we were able to quickly get our team members set up for home working without any real disruption.

QHow important is the issue of sustainability becoming to the merchant sector?

ASustainability is very important to us as a business, and I think we’re going to see some real change in the merchant sector over the next few years because customers will demand it.

Many manufacturers are already making huge leaps in improving the sustainability of their products in how they are made, used, and disposed of. As merchants, we also have an

The wellbeing our colleagues and the desire to support our customers in those difficult times was our prime focus and I’m proud of the way we managed the situation and the lessons we were able to learn from it.

QWhich individual has influenced you most in your career?

AI admire the entrepreneurial spirit and we have it in spades here! Both my father and uncle are founding members of the company and to see first hand how CMO, Building Superstore and the other superstores have grown and developed has been both inspirational and insightful.

Independent merchant buying group h&b has appointed a new CEO, Peter Fletcher. From joining a Plumbing & Heating merchant in Nottingham at 16 to becoming Divisional Sales Director with Genuit Group Residential Division, better known by customers and the Industry as Polypipe, Peter has enjoyed a lengthy career in the industry and joins h&b as part of its ongoing commitment to increase value for members and become an “even more focused, profitable growthdriven, and sustainable business.”

Adrian Shelley, MD of Manchester and Rochdale-based Henshaws Roofing and Building Supplies, has been appointed by the Builders Merchants Federation as Regional Chairman for the North West region.

With “decades of experience” in the industry, Adrian acquired Henshaws in 2019. Of this latest move, he said: “I’ve been so fortunate to have had a long and fulfilling career over the last 25 years in the builders’ merchant sector. There comes a point when you realise it is the right time to give something back to the industry that has supported you so well.”

Rockwool has welcomed Nick Wilson as Managing Director to lead the insulation manufacturer across the UK and Irish markets. Nick brings over 20 years of experience across the industrial, appliance and heating sectors, having held senior positions across commercial, marketing and operations functions.

Nick said: “This is a pivotal moment in the path to net zero and I am delighted to be working with Rockwool’s dedicated teams to continue our long legacy of stone wool production in Bridgend. I have been hugely impressed by everyone’s passion for our products and I look forward to working together with our customers to meet the UK and Ireland’s thermal, acoustic and non-combustible insulation needs.”

With a wealth of experience in the construction and plumbing merchants industry, including positions as Branch Manager and Area Sales Manager, Siamp UK has announced the appointment of Kevin Lewis as Area Sales Manager for the South West. Managing Director Ashley Shires said: “As part of our continued growth here in the UK, we have recruited five new sales managers and in Kevin, we have hired an Area Sales Manager who knows the industry like the back of his hand in the South West and he is an extremely welcome addition to the company.”

A daredevil of the skies has joined Yorkshire-based racking supplier Filstorage as the business’s latest regional account manager. Richard Coombs, who enjoys soaring to heights of 3,000 ft in his flex wing microlight in his spare time, is heading up the south east region for the design and fitout specialists. He takes over from wellknown industry expert Graham Matthews, who retired earlier this year due to ill health on what Managing Director Paul Taylor described as a ‘sad day’ for the business Paul said: “Graham has been a fantastic ambassador for our company for over 12 years, managing the whole of the south east and London and building up a great portfolio of loyal and supportive customers. He will be greatly missed by all of us, but Richard has come in and hit the ground running, already starting to establish himself as the face of Filstorage there.”