Two Northamptonshire branches of Travis Perkins have broken with tradition to open from 7am until 7pm, Monday to Thursday.

The extended week-day opening times create an additional eight hours of trading each week, meaning Travis Perkins' branch staff and extensive product range are available whenever customers need them. This extra time also creates an improved branch environment with more staff on hand to replenish and merchandise stock while focusing on assisting customers.

The changes are in reaction to research which showed a high percentage of tradespeople want to place orders for delivery at 5pm after a day on-site, rather than taking time to visit the branch the following morning.

As both branches are on busy commuter routes, it is also much more efficient for customers to visit after 6pm when the roads are clear.

With many customers now working in London and Milton Keynes, many prefer to collect their materials in Northampton in the evening, ready to head to site without delay the next morning.

Martin Beale, Travis Perkins regional director, said: “Merchants have traditionally opened from 8am until 5pm since the 1970’s; the only change I’ve seen in 33 years is for the branches to stay open during lunch! With flexible working now the norm across other industry sectors, it made sense for us to react to demand and reflect the hours of our customers.

“We are investing in longer branch openings to support tradespeople looking to make the most of the British Summer. This is also about choice; offering our customers better access to our knowledgeable staff and a wide range of products, when it suits them.”

As well as benefitting customers, the extended opening hours have met staff requests to also work flexibly in addition to creating six job opportunities for local students.