UK Plumbing Supplies have taken the next step towards their ambition of becoming the country’s largest plumber’s merchant with the acquisition of the Graham brand.
The deal will see Graham become part of UKPS from 1 August. All 73 branches will remain under the Graham branding and UKPS’s merchant network will now grow to 322 branches nationwide.
As part of the sale, 43 branches have been purchased by Wolseley which will trade under the Wolseley company branding as they transition on 1 September.
With this acquisition UKPS will grow to become one of the largest plumbing and heating merchants in the UK, with Wolseley being the largest. It will also be Ideal Standard’s second biggest merchant customer, again just behind Wolseley.
Adam Evans, Channel Director – Retail and Independents, said: “At a senior level we have strong business relationships with both UKPS and Graham, and we see the acquisition as good news for Ideal Standard. “
UKPS was established about five years ago and began acquiring plumbers’ merchants across the country, such as Willbond, Plumbcity, Michael Pavis, Plumbstop, Plumbstore, and more recently Plumbase from the Grafton Group. Its parent company, Marlowe Holdings Ltd, also owns the largest electrical distributor in the UK, Edmundson Electrical.