Yorkshire-based independent builders merchant Woods of Hornsea has become the latest addition to the h&b Development Group, the pathway to membership of the full h&b buying group.

“We are very excited and enthusiastic to be joining the h&b family,” says Nick Tudor, of Woods. “h&b was recommended to us by various people – from other members of the group and contacts in the industry – and when we talked to the team at h&b, we wanted to get involved. As well as the great deals we are confident that being part of h&b will give us access to the biggest and best brands in the building industry with better allocations. During the pandemic, as an independent merchant without the backing of a buying group, we struggled to get full allocations and had the rug pulled out from under us so many times. Now, as part of a major buying group, we have moved up the pecking order.” With a branch and office refurbishment and extension and now joining h&b, Woods of Hornsea is looking forward to putting ambitious expansion plans into place.

The h&b Development Group offers smaller merchants a proven route to growth and full group membership. With a basket of deals and the support and guidance of h&b and its partners, members of the h&b Development Group can grow turnover and margin to a point where they can join the main group after reaching key growth marks. This proven gateway to buying group membership is a unique initiative in the merchant sector and has already seen a number of merchants successfully graduate from the scheme into the main h&b group.

h&b is a truly independent merchant buying group with sales in excess of £1bn a year through its growing membership of independent builders’ merchants. 110 h&b merchant members with nearly 300 branches are currently trading in partnership with around 280 suppliers. h&b offers its merchant members a real opportunity to improve profitability and grow market share by being part of the most progressive buying group in the UK.