DUBLIN: Grafton owned CPI is to close its Irish operation. The company manufactured mortar and concrete products for the construction industry, but has been loss-making for some years. Sources said much of its activity had been focussed on the housebuilding side.

COVENTRY: Saint-Gobain owned glazing company Solaglas has experienced its busiest ever period handling a surge of emergency repair requests brought by the early New Year stormy weather.

ESHER: With immediate effect, Joby Hardman joins the 10-strong retail sales team at Hansgrohe as area sales manager.

LONDON: The government is to take its legal battle over its plans to slash the feed-in-tariff rate to the Supreme Court after losing its appeal.

WOLVERHAMPTON: Worcester Parsons hinges are being used in a robotic bird designed to keep nuisance birds off buildings. Aggressive gulls are well known to swoop down on children eating their school lunch and regularly attack technicians working on roof-mounted systems, even pecking clean through hard hats on occasions.

Updated: DECC statement

LONDON: Solar companies are in a buoyant mood today. The Government's plan to overturn a High Court ruling that its bid to cut subsidies for solar panels on homes are unlawful, has been rejected.

As politicians and activists gathered at their party political conferences, the Builders’ Merchants Federation attended the events in Liverpool and Manchester to make the case for merchants, their suppliers and their customers, writes policy manager, Brett Amphlett.

GLOUCESTESHIRE: Shower tray maker, Marleton Cross, is to expand its product line with shower cubicles for its current range after securing a £3.5m finance deal with Lloyds TSB Commercial.

LONDON: The fall in construction output was one of the main contributors to the fall in UK GDP by 0.2% in the final quarter of 2011 following growth of just 0.6% in the previous two quarters.

CANNING TOWN: Keyline, part of Travis Perkins, has launched a service to deliver building materials solutions to the rail industry.

In an industry where it’s all about people, mutual respect and the sharing of knowledge, the ability to identify with both merchants’ and suppliers’ issues is an added bonus. Lisa Arcangeli reports.

EVESHAM: On-line retailer Cheap-Baths.co.uk has launched a range of "affordable" double-ended baths.

TELFORD: Viessmann, a leading international manufacturer of heating systems, has appointed Colin Bland to the new position of sales manager for renewable energy systems.