Landscaping projects continue to drive merchant sales

Landscaping projects continue to drive merchant sales

Average sales a day, which take trading day differences into account, were 4.7% up on October 2019. As in September, landscaping was the product category seeing the biggest year-on year growth in October 2020, up 16.5% on 2019. In September landscaping had been up 24.2%. Sales of timber & joinery products  rose 5.0% in October…

Appleton to lead Van Elle’s sheet piling push

Appleton to lead Van Elle’s sheet piling push

Andy Appleton Van Elle currently does less than £5m a year of sheet piling works, primarily in its Rail division. Andy Appleton’s remit is to grow the sheet piling business, under the umbrella of Van Elle’s Specialist Piling division. Andy Appleton was previously managing director of Keltbray Sheet Piling for five years until Keltbray shut…

Keepmoat secures plots for £166m programme

Keepmoat secures plots for £166m programme

Artist’s impression of Keepmoat Homes’ planned Warren Wood development in Gainsborough Keepmoat Homes has bought two sites in South Yorkshire, one in North Yorkshire and one in North Lincolnshire. The largest of the schemes is at Warren Wood in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, where 454 plots are to be developed with a total gross development value (GDV)…

Trio of ‘active travel’ schemes to share £22m

Trio of ‘active travel’ schemes to share £22m

The money for the schemes in Ayr, Hawick and Broughty Ferry is being allocated through the Sustrans Places for Everyone initiative. They will target active modes for everyday journeys by reallocating road space in favour of sustainable active travel modes. The Scottish government has committed to investing over £500m in active travel across the next…

Barratt fined £140k for height safety breach

Barratt fined £140k for height safety breach

Southampton Magistrates’ Court heard that on 10th May 2018, workers were carrying out work to lay cabling and ducting in loft spaces at newly built residential properties in Swanmore, Southampton without suitable or sufficient protection from falls at height. A 49-year-old electrician fell through the plasterboard loft flooring sustaining multiple fractures to his ribs, shoulders…

Speedy deal takes tool hire into more B&Q stores

Speedy deal takes tool hire into more B&Q stores

The trial started in July 2020 with Speedy concessions now at nine B&Q stores: Trafford Park, Stockport, West Thurrock, Beckton, Roneo Corner, Yeading, New Malden, Gillingham and Darnley. A further five outlets are scheduled to open in January. The concessions, typically about 90 sqm in size, give B&Q retail and trade customers the option to…

Scape names winners of £1bn consultancy frameworks

Scape names winners of £1bn consultancy frameworks

The Scape consultancy framework is divided into three lots for Scotland and another three lots for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. They start in January 2021 and run for four years, with the option of a two-year extension. Scape Scotland, based in Edinburgh, has its own framework because Scottish law and procurement regulation is different…