Builders Merchants Journal – BMJ Publishing to Builders Merchants and the UK merchanting industry for more than 95 years
Newly formed independent plumbers merchant buying group PHG has welcomed eight former Cemco members and 1 former NBG member as well as major independent MKM to its membership list.
PHG is a new buying group to focusing solely on buying within the lightside sector .
Duftons, John Nicholls, Plumbcity, Plumbstop, Richmonds, Spinks, Stuart Plumbing & Heating Supplies and Tucker French gave notice today (December 19) that they will resign from Cemco Lightside with effect from 31st January 2013.
Also joining PHG is former NBG member Plumco Plumbing & Heating Supplies. Plumco was founded in Sheffield in 2000 and it now operates 4 branches in the South Yorkshire region.
MKM Building Supplies will be joining PHG with effect from January 1 2013 and will look to route as much of its plumbing purchases as possible through the PHG buying agreements.
PHG Chairman David Pochin said: “The Plumbing and Heating Group (PHG) was conceived back in July to become the leading buying organization for plumbing, heating and sanitaryware products. This was always going to be a tough challenge without the leading plumbers’ merchants from the Cemco group and thus we are absolutely delighted that 8 of them will now be joining us from February 1st, 2013.
“Inevitably, much hard work will be required to ensure the integration of the former Cemco members and our other new recruits, MKM and Plumco, but we have plenty of ability around our enlarged table and we are confident that this will be successfully achieved.”
MKM executive chairman, David Kilburn said, ‘We like the people and the ethos within the PHG group which is looking to work with its chosen plumbing and heating suppliers to deliver mutual competitive advantage with the minimum of bureaucracy.”
Plumco managing director John Smith said: ‘We are really looking forward to getting round the table with the PHG members who represent some of the very best plumbers’ merchants in the country. We will be able to focus exclusively on the products that are relevant to our business and we will be committing ourselves wholeheartedly to the future success of PHG’
Matthew Harrison of Spinks speaking on behalf of the new members from Cemco said: “We met with PHG for the first time only last month and that was really to discuss possible future collaboration but it became readily apparent to all of us that our futures would be better together rather than apart. All of us share the ethos of the PHG founders and we are extremely excited about us working together to create a very special buying organization.’
