MERCHANT BUILDE RS
Targeted Readership & Circulation
Established in 1991, Professional Builders Merchant has a proven track record of delivering practical, informative and engaging content on the subjects that matter most to our targeted audience of decision makers in the merchant sector.
Y PBM has the highest controlled free circulation within the merchant industry with an average circulation of 14,188 per issue (6,000 print, 8,188 digital) . It makes PBM the preferred publication in the sector and reaching more active decision makers than any of our rivals.
Y Our readers include the sector’s leading builders’, plumbing, heating and timber merchant businesses. Within those firms, PBM targets all the key decision makers — owners, directors, branch managers and sales counter managers.
Y The full demographic breakdown is vital because it provides essential information — which can be used by advertisers and agencies to compare the strength of merchant titles. With these latest figures, PBM reinforces its position as the No. 1 business magazine for merchants.
Digital
Y Every issue of Professional Builders Merchant is also available to read page by page at www.professionalbuildersmerchant.co.uk
Y PBM is also emailed out in digital format to around 8,200 key merchant personnel, with an average read time of 7.06 minutes.
Y Clickable trackable links appear on all adverts and editorial. Job Function - Circulation
Description Total Director 3067
Operations/Branch Manager5344
Sales/Counter Manager1923
14,188 PBM has the highest circulation in the merchant sector
Focussed Editorial
Offering a balanced blend of news, industry comment, feature articles, business information and product innovation, Professional Builders Merchant provides comprehensive coverage of the key issues affecting all merchant organisations — from the national chains to the smallest independent alike.
In addition to the areas detailed on our Features List, every issue of PBM also includes standalone articles on the topics that matter most to our readers such as industry analysis and forecasts, sales & marketing, legislation, training, health & safety, security and other important operational and management issues.
With articles written by experts in their respective fields, PBM’s content is produced firmly with the merchant in mind.
REGULAR FEATURES:
In addition to the category-focused features, each issue of PBM presents targeted and content-driven editorial that puts readers in prime position to engage with active suppliers and industry trends. These include:
Supplier Profile: Corporate insights and updates
Face to Face: Q&A session with merchant-facing supplier staff
Marketing: A detailed look at supplier support at the point of sale
Soapbox: Comment and opinion
Training Focus: Merchant-focused courses and content
Product Spotlight: Drilling down into new product launches
Every edition also provides a review of the latest news, appointments, events, informed opinion from industry experts, updates from the BMF and other leading industry bodies, plus a round-up of the sector’s new products. Meanwhile, best practice is shared through regular profiles and news from leading merchant organisations.
Following the publication of the print edition, content is uploaded to the PBM website in digital ‘flickbook’ format and as web stories on the main site.
Features List 2026
JANUARY
Kitchens & Bathrooms
Transport, Handling & Storage
Information Technology
FEBRUARY
Bricks, Blocks & Hard Landscaping
Tools, Fixings & Adhesives
Doors, Windows & Security
MARCH
Information Technology
Workwear & Equipment
Roofing, Flooring & Insulation
APRIL
Plumbing & Heating
Gardens & Landscaping
Drainage & Water Management
Top 20 Merchant Chart: showcasing the performance of the sector’s largest firms
MAY
Tools, Fixings & Adhesives
Bricks, Blocks & Hard Landscaping
Paints & Woodcare
JUNE
Timber & Joinery
Roofing, Flooring & Insulation
Building Boards, Plasters & Renders
NMBS All Industry Conference preview
JULY/AUGUST
Plumbing & Heating
Information Technology
Transport, Handling & Storage
SEPTEMBER
Gardens & Landscaping
Tools, Fixings & Adhesives
Bricks, Blocks & Masonry
OCTOBER
Workwear & Equipment
Drainage & Water Management
Kitchens & Bathrooms
NOVEMBER
Roofing, Flooring & Insulation
Information Technology
Tools, Fixings & Building Chemicals
DECEMBER
Plumbing & Heating
Timber & Joinery
Regular Features
PBM is also uniquely placed to capitalise on its relationship with its sister publications Professional Builder and Professional Heating & Plumbing Installer, offering an instant insight into the interests and buying behaviour of merchants’ key trade customers. By regularly showcasing the latest news, products and advertising campaigns as featured in these leading trade titles, PBM’s readers are put in prime position to benefit from the latest innovations from active suppliers.
Supplier Profile
Corporate insights and updates
Face to Face
Q&A session with merchant-facing staff
Soapbox
Comment and opinion
Marketing
A detailed look at supplier support at the point of sale
Training Focus
Merchant-focused courses and content
Product Spotlight
Drilling down into new product launches
PLUS:
With updates from the BMF and other leading industry bodies, every edition of PBM provides a regular round-up of news stories, appointments, business support, industry events and exhibitions in addition to profiles of leading merchants and suppliers.
Sponsored Supplements
Professional Builders Merchant now offers a dedicated 8-page Sponsored Supplement that will run in both the print and digital versions of PBM to give companies the opportunity to communicate the value of their products and support services to an audience of key merchant personnel.
And in addition to forming a stand-out section of the magazine, the supplement can also be emailed directly in a dedicated digital format to over 8,200 merchant professionals and will be posted on the PBM website alongside featuring separately in the magazine archive section.
The supplements are designed and professionally edited by our inhouse editorial team and laid out in PBM’s popular house style. They can follow the messages of any planned marketing campaigns, or the content can be tailored to a more standardised framework.
Lead Generation
PBM offers an effective way of generating direct leads for both advertising and editorial inclusions featured in the publication through the magazine’s RDR.link reader enquiry service.
All the ads and edit in the magazine have a unique www.rdr.link address attached to them. This can either be typed from the printed version or clicked on from the digital version to take readers directly to more information about the product. All numbers are quantifiable and produce on average 5,000 clicks per year.
5,000 RDR CLICKS PER YEAR
Display advertising rates/ mechanical data
Contact:
Cover positions
Outside back:
Inside front:
Inside back: £2,575
Profile Opportunities (£POA)
Belly banding
Wrap-arounds (gummed to spread)
Bound outserts 1 page gatefold
Tip-ons - front cover
Bound inserts
Loose inserts
Adverts should be supplied as high res 300dpi, CMYK pdf’s tiffs or jpegs together with a colour proof. Advertising deadlines are 4 weeks preceding publication dates which are during the first week of the month. Cancellation period is 6 weeks prior to publication date.
Email newsletters
PBM E-newsletter
Reach:12,500
Rate:£500 p/banner
Spec:600 x 120px
£700 p/video
Spec:600 x 338px
Acceptable formats: JPEG, GIF, animated GIF. We cannot support third party click tags. For animated GIF, please ensure relevant info is contained in first frame of the animation.
l Please supply a URL with your copy to link to the advert
l Copy to be supplied 10 working days prior to send out date
l Supply to digital@hamerville.co.uk
Contact:
Craig Jowsey, Group Advertisement Manager craig@hamerville.co.uk 07900 248102
Ian Duff, Sales Manager probuilder@sky.com 07810 353525 / 01204 596633
Jo Wright, Digital Production jo@hamerville.co.uk
Solus E-newsletters
There is also a weekly newsletter opportunity for an advertiser to promote its brand directly to potential customers through solus sponsorship of a bespoke e-newsletter. Content can be provided as complete HTML code or created by us to the template specification to the left.
Reach: 12,500
Rate:£1,200
Assets to be supplied as either:
l html (complete with images) at 600px wide; or l Word document; jpg or png images (rgb) at minimum 600px wide or 400x400px square (side by side images); company logo at minimum 400px wide; all url(s); visual guide if possible
Subject line to be supplied with assets
Our brand header and unsubscribe link will be added to all solus emails. Please do not supply view in browser or unsub links with html. We are unable to amend supplied html. Test version will be emailed for approval with confirmation of planned send date.
SPONSORED SOCIAL POSTS ARE AVAILABLE AT £250 EACH
They can also form an integral part of a wider multi-platform package that offers an unrivalled reach to a targeted trade audience. Alongside print, online and email, Professional Builders Merchant engages on all social media channels:
Social media
Followers: 10,000
Followers: 8,600
Followers: 3,200
Specifications:
Sponsor to supply: Caption, social media handles, URL links and images
Images: X/Facebook – 1200px (w) x 675 px(h); LinkedIn – 1080px(w) x 675px(h)
Caption: X character limit of 280 – including tags, links and “#ad” that is added to post