£17.4 million deal struck Grafton Group spends big on Belgian merchanting business Samsung Widescreen TV For your chance to win this prize, simply enquire to answer A or B in response to this questions: What size is the Samsung TV being offered? A: 32-inch B: 38-inch Nu-Heat Underfloor & Renewables is offering a Samsung 32-inch Widescreen HD Ready Slim Smart LED TV, featuring built in Wi-Fi, Samsung’s Smart Hub, S-recommendation technology and On TV; the only Smart TV with a full catch-up service. 2013 saw an increased demand from installers for Nu-Heat’s retrofit low profile warm water underfloor heating solution LoPro, suitable for renovations, extensions, loft conversions and new builds. The LoPro has been designed as an alternative method of heating existing domestic properties and provides a practical, economical alternative to traditional radiator-based systems. PRIZE 3 Answer A 105 REMEMBER: enter all 12 competitions, and you could win the grand prize - the lot! Answer B 106 HPM’s Festive giveaway PRIZE 3 10 Got a story? Ring us on 01732 748041 or e-mail twood@unity-media.com BUSINESSNEWS Grafton Group, the builders merchanting and DIY Group with operations in the UK, Ireland and Belgium, has reached agreement through a wholly owned subsidiary to acquire Binje Ackermans SA, a six branch builders merchanting business based in Brussels and trading under the MPRO brand. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2014, subject to obtaining approval from the Belgium Competition Authority. Binje Ackermans SA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Saint-Gobain. MPRO reported revenue of £40.5 million in the financial year to December 31, 2012. The total consideration payable, which will be satisfied in cash, is £17.4 million on a debt and cash free basis and is subject to the agreement of assets and liabilities at the date of completion. The value of the gross assets at December 31, 2012, was £17 million. MPRO reported a loss of £1.8 million for the year to December 31, 2012, which included a charge for amortisation of intangibles and restructuring costs. The acquired business is forecast to operate at break even for the year to December 31, 2013. Commenting on the proposed transaction, Gavin Slark, chief executive officer of Grafton Group, said: “This transaction presents a strategic opportunity for Grafton to acquire a business with a leading position in the Brussels market. MPRO’s branches are a geographic fit with the Group’s existing branches, which are located in the west of Belgium. “The proposed acquisition creates opportunities for scale related benefits and operational synergies in the areas of procurement, central services and the sharing of best practice Belgian merchanting market.” DECEMBER 2013 HEATING & PLUMBING MONTHLY WWW.HPMMAG.COM Graham launches eTrading services Graduate recruits join Wolseley Graham Plumbers’ Merchant has launched a new eTrade counter service, allowing users to order from the merchant’s Always Available range. The service offers personalised pricing and the option to have products delivered directly to site or made available to collect in branch the next working day. Customers now have immediate access to thousands of products within Heating and Spares, Plumbing and Plastics and Bathrooms. The valuable service means that if installers have been unable to access one of their local Graham branches the products required can be ordered online using the Next Day Delivery service, if orders are placed before 4pm. Graham’s new eTrade counter follows the launch of Graham’s Online Account Management service. This allows users to view transactions, their account balance, request a credit review, as well as download and print invoices to reduce paperwork. A ‘Contact Us’ function enables installers to speak with Graham representatives. Users can also use Graham’s eTrade counter to access information on their local Graham branches. Registration is required, and existing Graham customers already registered for online account management can begin using the eTrade counter service immediately. Ten graduates have started work after gaining a place on Wolseley UK’s new management training programme. Over 2,300 applications - just one job for every 230 applicants - were received for the management training programme at the distributor and supplier, which gives graduates the opportunity to join a FTSE 100 company and become part of the next generation of managers. A third of applications - 700 in total - were for the branch operations vacancies. Due to the high volume of applications, Wolseley UK partnered with Discovery Graduates to shortlist the candidates following a telephone interview and assessment day. From this shortlist, 48 graduates were invited to attend Wolseley UK assessment centres held in July, August and September. A team of occupational psychologists and senior managers from the business put the candidates through a series of competency based activities. Candidates were also given an opportunity to learn about the business and to meet heads of department, regional trading directors, and other members of the senior management team. Ten jobs were eventually offered – seven in branch operations and three in the head office support functions of marketing, logistics and product sourcing.
HPM December 2013
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