The future for plumbing and heating merchants  

Mark Bradley18 December 2018

Mark Bradley, Managing Director of Plumbase and BMF Plumbing and Heating Forum Chairman, shares his views on what the future has in-store for specialist Plumbing & Heating merchants and how we plan to grow our forum.  

Plumbers' merchants in the UK have been supporting installers for generations and this is currently a thriving sector of construction merchanting.  A large reason for this is the limitlessness of the technical experience and product knowledge held by teams at the trade counter, which is backed by an excellent depth of stock profiles and availability. Branch teams also have a strong local awareness of projects happening in the area including the ability to make valuable suggestions when it comes to what installers need to be able to do their job done well. Overall, this is what makes the relationship much more personal and strategic when compared to the consumer retail market which tends to be more of a transactional relationship. Merchants will always go above and beyond to ensure that installers can always get the job done on time, within budget and without any hassle.  

When trading with time-pressed installers who run their own businesses, going the extra mile to source the right products, suggest alternatives, and liaise with suppliers to find out information quickly really does takes the pressure off tradespeople and business owners. Likewise, investing in valuable and free-to-access resources, such as having technical information like boiler manuals all in one place online, free delivery options direct to site, non-interest-bearing credit facilities and being able to solve product queries and or answer queries by working with manufacturers on the behalf of an installer is essential to running their business. Merchants continue to have excellent access to our supplier network and so it isn’t uncommon for installers to visit their local branch with product questions and queries. As a result, each merchant team becomes an extension of the plumber or heating engineer’s own business. Having a direct line to trusted branch teams with decades of industry experience is reassuring for our installer customers, and over time, a mutually beneficial relationship is built - where we are on-hand to find product solutions and offer quality advice with the installer returning to merchant with repeat business as loyalty and trust is built over years.  

From experience, we know that installers value being able to visit their local branch to check they are getting the right product at the right price. This is a vital way of working for them that they really value, appreciate and need, that is what they tell us continuously. Some installers are using online purchasing and account management now as new methods of procurement establish themselves and we are ensuring we meet that demand, this is especially the case for those SME’s just embarking on their career in the industry.  

It will be essential for plumber’s merchants to continuously adapt and change to be able to continue to provide the best service possible in all its forms. This is why we incessantly work with our customers and suppliers, to ensure we are offering the right level of support to them. We then take these learnings and use it to improve our product & service offerings ( the merchant value proposition )  online e-commerce channels including the skills and knowledge of our local teams.   

Merchants always take the long-term view that if you look after customers today, they will stay with you for the next 40 years. For plumber’s merchants, the journey continues, and we’ll always mould and shift our approach based around the needs of our customers today, tomorrow, and beyond.  I am proud to be part of such a dynamic industry and feel very privileged to recently become the Chairman of the BMF Plumbing and Heating forum.  

The BMF do a fantastic job organising forum events, enlisting guest speakers from in and outside the industry and putting on great events throughout the year.  Our forum provides us with a superb opportunity to drive change within the industry and shape our future. A key priority for me is to develop and increase attendance to the forums promoting inclusion for all members, providing a relevant platform for everyone to contribute, share ideas and continue to build robust relationships with our loyal manufacturer partners.  I look forward to seeing you at future forums.  


You can secure your place at the next BMF Plumbing and Heating Forum here