COVENTRY: Following yesterday's announcement that Jewson is to buy Build Center from Wolseley, Peter Hindle MBE, managing director of Jewson and chief executive of Saint Gobain Building Distribution UK & Ireland, said the national merchant was looking at the long-term…
and played down fears of branch closures once the purchase of Build Center from Wolseley had been secured.
"A lot of noise has been made in the national press yesterday about 'closing underperforming sites'. It's not our intention to buy a business to close sites. That's not the idea," Mr Hindle told Builders' Merchants News.
Following the purchase, which is subject to regulatory checks, Jewson would undertake a major integration drive akin to the one it performed back in 1997 when it held a £318m takeover of rival Harcros and went on become the country's biggest builders' merchant, he said.
"The Build Center offer is very different," Mr Hindle stated. "We'll add products and services and develop a wider range. The Build Center outlets will be rebranded as 'Jewson' and, where the Jewson name does not fit for commercial reasons, the sites will become 'Gibbs & Dandy' outlets."
Mr Hindle explained that the biggest changes would involve capital expenditure on IT, as the deal did not include this as part of the sale.
Jewson will also bear the costs of rebranding and investing in all the sites.
"The key assets are the employees and we are keen to welcome all the branch managers and staff and the sales people," he said.
The expense, Mr Hindle said, is justified by the results. "We are in this business for the long-haul," he commented.
