LONDON: Over 270 NBG members braved blizzards and deep snow to attend the group's Annual Conference in the capital.
Despite the heavy snowfalls throughout the country, merchants and suppliers gathered for a day of 'Meet the Merchant' sessions, private meetings and networking.
The event was in part held at the Park Plaza Riverbank centre, facing the Thames.
NBG's supplier awards, however, were held aboard the Silver Sturgeon – a luxury floating restaurant that toured the river, offering guests a glimpse of London by night on a clear and crisp evening.
This year's host was Simon Storer, director of external affairs at the Consruction Products Association. He said suppliers and merchants were key to the UK refurbishing over 26 million homes. This year's suppliers to receive an award from NBG were:
1 General build
1st place Everbuild
2nd place Lafarge Cement
3rd place Keystone
2 Timber
1st place Myers
2nd place James Donandson
3rd place Premdor
3 Plumbing and heating
1st place Comap
2nd place Polypipe
3rd place Fry & Pollard
4 Bathrooms, kitchens and tiles
1st place Ideal Bathrooms
2nd place Lakes
3rd place Symphony
5 Tools and workwear
1st place Toolbank
2nd place Brian Hyde
3rd place Belle
6 Bricks and blocks
1st place Ibstock
2nd place H+H
3rd place Hanson Building Products
7 Roofing and insulation
1st place Quinn
2nd place Superglass
3rd place Hanson Redbank
8 DPHIFE
1st place Ronseal
2nd place Sterling Hardware
3rd place Crown Paints
9 Civils and landscaping
1st place Bradstone
2nd place Stonemarket
3rd place Marshalls
The mood among both suppliers and merchants was upbeat. Two-thirds of the individuals Builders' Merchants News spoke to said 2011 would not be a year of major growth, but that it would be one in which business would get done – especially for the 'improve, don't move' brigade of homeowners who would choose to ensue that their property values remained high.
Many suppliers had invested in plant and equipment in the past year and although they admitted that 2011 looked flat, it might see small shoots of recovery for specific niche markets.
