Builders Merchants Journal – BMJ Publishing to Builders Merchants and the UK merchanting industry for more than 95 years
Alan Hampton has retired, as chairman of merchant industry buying co-operative United Merchants plc after 16 years as a director of Unimer and the last 11 years as the chairman.
He is replaced by Leo Martin.
During his time as a Unimer board member Hampton has seen the business grow from just over £400m turnover to the current level of well over £900m. He has also seen the business develop the industry’s capability to trade electronically and has supported Unimer’s significant investments in its systems capability, including the recent project that has changed almost 90% of all of Unimer’s operational systems.
Unimer’s managing director Howard Grant said: “Alan has been an excellent Chairman of Unimer always bringing a commercial but very objective view on the business issues being reviewed. He has challenged the executive team and the rest of the Board as to how the business should move forward, always ensuring that our merchant member’s interests were the priority and always with good humour”.
Martin has been a Unimer Board member for the last year and takes up the role of chairman from the beginning of this month. He joined the Board of Grafton Group plc as an Executive Director in 2005. He had previously been Chief Executive of Heiton Group plc prior to its acquisition by Grafton that year. He was appointed Chief Operating Officer of Grafton in 2006 and was responsible for streamlining and integrating circa 100 Group acquisitions in the UK and Ireland.
