Source

We source a wide range of products efficiently and responsibly, bringing together the range of products from different vendors that our customers need.

• Around 70,000 trade vendors supplying a broad mix of products including private label ranges

• Leading national market positions drive scale advantages in sourcing - a key competitive advantage

• Targeted international sourcing drives scale advantages in areas such as private label

Vendor relationships

Our vendors need distributors who can give them access to many smaller customers cost effectively. Our relationships with these vendors are key to our success; we want to build strong relationships and grow our business with them.

 

Key vendors are manufacturers with market leading brands, usually focused on the needs of local markets. We work in partnership with our key vendors to offer market breadth and penetration and to collaborate on promotions and incentive programmes. We aim to derive benefit from national scale. Whilst the vendor base is predominantly based on national geographies, some international sourcing benefits exist, for example across Europe and for the sourcing of private label products. The Group continues to work with low cost, high quality manufacturers to supply our private label product ranges.

 

The Group’s vendor base is highly fragmented and the Group is not highly reliant on any single supplier.

 

Products

The Group sources and supplies a broad range of products. The main product categories are as follows:

 

Plumbing, heating and air conditioning

• baths, showers and accessories • sanitaryware • brassware • bathroom furniture • boilers and burners • radiators and valves • hot water cylinders and flues • control equipment • heating and cooling equipment • solar equipment • plastic pipes and fittings • copper tubing and fittings

 

Building materials

• insulation • plaster and plasterboard • roofing materials • bricks, blocks and aggregates • tiles and flooring • timber products • doors and frames • beams, trusses and frames • hardware and tools • work wear
 

Civils/waterworks, industrial and commercial

• drainage pipes, associated supplies and covers • underground pressure pipes • small bore pressure pipes and fittings • carbon and stainless steel pipes, valves and fittings • other pipes, valves and fittings

 

Other

• services, including installation, maintenance and management of customer inventory • fire and fabrication products

 

The proportion of Group revenue derived from each product category is shown in the chart below.


Product mix by category