Four members of the H&B Buying Group have become the first to take advantage of the group membership terms agreed with the BMF last month.  Thirty five H&B members are now part of the BMF, with others expressing interest and poised to join.

Of the four new merchants, three are family firms spanning several generations and all four pride themselves on customer service and strong links with their local markets.  Between them they operate from 8 branches, with annual sales of £15m.

AR Aspinall & Sons was founded in the 1930s by MD Andrew Aspinall’s grand-father as a building contracting firm. His father developed the merchanting business in the 1990s, which is now based in Over, Cambridgeshire.

Three generations of Branch Bros work in their expanding Lincolnshire business, with Ashley Branch at the helm. Currently trading from branches in Bourne and Market Deeping, a third branch is due to open in Holbeach next year.

With a name reflecting its early manufacturing origins, Manningham Concrete is now one of Bradford’s largest independent builders merchants with four outlets. It has been owned by the same family for two generations and is now in the capable hands of brothers, Alan and Andrew Tomlinson.

Totem Timber, now run by Shaun Parnell and Graham Jeffery, was the brainchild of a builder specialising in animal houses for zoos and safari parks forty years ago. He had great difficulty finding all the materials required in one place so created his own one stop store.

Welcoming them to the BMF, managing director John Newcomb said: “We are delighted to welcome such longstanding family firms to the BMF.  They have a strong relationship with H&B and they will find the BMF equally supportive.  I encourage other H&B members to join them and enjoy the many commercial benefits offered by the BMF.”