European alliances are as strong as ever

by John Newcomb, BMF CEO
23 April 2019

Whilst the Brexit process rolls on with ever more strident voices calling for different solutions, I am pleased to report that in one area, at least, the ties between the UK and our European partners are as strong as ever.

Last month I attended my first meeting as President of UFEMAT, the European Association of National Builders Merchants Associations and Manufacturers, alongside colleagues from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain.  The views expressed around the table made it clear that there is far more that unites us than separates us.

With the exception of Italy, which has particular concerns affecting its business climate, the current state of trade across Europe is generally positive though not without its own challenges. Like the UK, our European neighbours are struggling to keep up with the requirement for new homes, due to a shortage of skilled labour and of some building materials.  There is a heavy reliance on Eastern European labour in these markets too, and they may benefit if the UK becomes less open to migrant workers in the future.

Digitalisation is another relevant issue across the membership. At one end of the scale there are a number of different systems with varying levels of integration in existence throughout Europe. We need to work towards a common format for building materials to be classified to provide a database that can be used within different digital applications.  At a macro level we must also be aware of the competitive threat of global on-line retailers such as Amazon and Alibaba.

The key to many of these issues lies in our ability to attract young people into the sector. One of the key objectives during my UFEMAT Presidency is to establish a European “Young Merchant Group” based on the success of similar groups in the UK and Belgium. Work has already begun. Both the current and ex-Chair of the Belgian Young Merchant Group visited the UK recently to meet with Knauf’s Jo Callow, BMF Young Merchant Vice Chair, and James Spillane, the BMF Regional Manager who administers our Young Merchant Group.

Later this year, young merchants from the UK, Belgium and France will participate in a sold-out event in Toulouse, France organized by BMF Young Merchants and hosted by Knauf. While UFEMAT is sponsoring four young professionals from each member country with a €250 discounted rate for its annual conference in Montreux, Switzerland in October.

My other core objectives include promoting best practice, with field trips for European wholesalers to the UK. The first trip took place in March with merchants from Spain and Portugal visiting E H Smith and Selco as well as the RCI Show. We hope to take a group of UFEMAT members to UK Construction Week in October, a great opportunity for them to see the latest products and innovations coming to market as well as arranging meetings with a wide number of building materials manufacturers.

Plumbing & Heating progress

I’m a huge fan of exhibitions. Last month, for example, I attended ISH in Frankfurt.  This is the largest HVAC and Water exhibition in the world with around 2,500 exhibitors.  Over the course of three days I held meetings with over 20 BMF members who had stands there.  It’s a marvellous opportunity to do business but although the UK’s national P&H merchants were well represented, few independents had made the trip. I truly believe that they are missing out so for the next ISH, in 2021, the BMF and NMBS are looking to work together to take more merchants along and benefit from this excellent showcase.

P&H is now the fastest growing area of BMF membership and we are fortunate to have Mark Bradley, MD of Plumbase, as the latest Chair of our Plumbing and Heating Forum.  He is already introducing new ways of engaging with P&H members. For example, running two Forums – one for those in the North and one for those in the Midlands - in the same week. This proved a great success with 66 members able to attend one of the meetings.

The views of members at P&H Forums will also help the BMF provide industry input to the anticipated government consultation following the announcement by the Chancellor of their intention to adopt recommendations made by the Committee on Climate Change, which backed low-carbon energy sources for heating new homes by 2025.  By working together we are not only stronger, we can make sure that our sector’s voice is heard.



This article first appeared in the April 2019 edition of Builders Merchants News