Buying group Unimer has formed a joint venture with BuildStore to link self-builders and major renovators with merchants and suppliers.
Unimer said 20,000 people embarked on self-build projects each year in the UK, spending an average of £70,000 of materials, worth £1.4bn in total.
“In a market that is predicted to grow faster than the traditional housing market over the next five years, that’s great news for builders merchants and their suppliers,” it said.
The joint venture sees the formation of BuildStore Connections, creating a national supply chain network within a common market.
Merchants and suppliers joining the service will gain access to consumers embarking on real projects.
Unimer managing director Howard Grant said the agreement represented a fantastic opportunity for Unimer members to maximise their exposure to the growing self-build market.
“Unimer’s members will be able to create a national supply network of independent merchants more than capable of competing with any national merchant offer,” he said.
