N IRELAND: Acheson & Glover (A&G) recently welcomed BMF merchant members to its head quarters in Northern Ireland for a tour of its modern manufacturing plants in Toombe and nearby quarries.
The visit, which took place in July, was arranged by the BMF to give young merchants an opportunity to learn more about suppliers and their operations. The BMF Young Merchants saw hard landscaping products being produced on A&G’s large efficient plants, the most modern and productive in the UK.
The visit included a tour of A&G's innovative and eye-opening ‘Outside Rooms’ displays which shift the focus from selling product-at-a-price to selling ideas that enable merchants to improve their margins. The trip concluded with a visit to A&G’s merchant customer Haldane Fisher in Newry.
Shropshire Building Suppliers, Rawle, Gammon & Baker, Walter Tipper, Browns Builders' Merchants, J.F Beale and LBS Builders' Merchants were among merchants attending.
Christine Harding, BMF's marketing manager, commented: "Merchant training and support is a key part of what we do and organising these tours gives our young merchant members the opportunity to get together with other young senior managers so that they can build relationships, learn from each other and learn more about the industry. In previous years we arranged trips to sawmills in Latvia and system building sites and merchants in Amsterdam, but on this occasion members were keen to visit a supplier closer to home and A&G was the perfect fit. They are new to the market and our members wanted to find out more about them.
"A&G was a very good host," continued Ms Harding. "The visit was well organised and there was plenty of opportunity to ask questions and learn. Members were very impressed with A&G's plants and products and the commitment and enthusiasm of its staff. The visit to Haldane Fisher was also very useful. It was a positive and productive trip all round."
