Finland’s oldest company, Fiskars, is the latest member to join the Builders Merchants Federation (BMF), bringing the total membership to 472.

Founded in 1649, Fiskars is a global supplier of branded consumer products for the home, garden and outdoors. With over one billion pairs of its iconic orange handled scissors sold, Fiskars is renowned worldwide for its functionality and cutting-edge design, boasting a strong portfolio of trusted brands such as Fiskars, Iittala and Gerber.

In the UK, Fiskars is best known as the market leader for garden cutting hand tools, a driving force behind the growth of axes, and with its newly launched range of digging tools, Fiskars brings an entire range to suit gardening, landscaping, and building work.

This year, following four successful spring TV campaigns, Fiskars is also back with its biggest press campaign to date including TV, radio, online and the recently announced partnership with celebrity gardener James Wong. The campaign will focus on the hero range of Power Gear pruners, loppers and hedge shears, along with the innovative and widely recognised weed puller.

Kerry Murfin, trade marketing director for Fiskars UK, said: “We’re really excited to be joining the BMF and extending the already solid foothold we have gained through our axe distribution among merchants in 2014. Joining the BMF is one of the ways we wish to get closer to our customers, while actively supporting trade and consumer sales of our products. Our TV campaigns over the past four years have been highly successful, driving footfall and increasing product sales. We look forward to similar success when our Fiskars PowerGear and Weed puller campaign launches in the spring.”

John Newcomb, BMF managing director, added: “We are delighted to welcome Fiskars, a company with such a wonderful heritage, as our 472nd member. This is a fantastic way to begin 2015, and with six further members coming on board on 1 February, including Dale Windows, Klober, Merchant Development Solutions, SSQ Natural Slate, URFIC and Hanson Cement, we are on track to achieving the BMF’s own next landmark of 500 members by the end of the year.”