The UK's largest builders' merchant, supplying building materials and tools to trade customers from branches across the country.
Travis Perkins supplies the materials and equipment that builders use every day: bricks, timber, plaster, plumbing parts, kitchens, landscaping materials and tool hire. The group's careers site says it is the largest distributor of building materials in the UK, with over 1,400 branches and sites and over 20,000 colleagues in the UK, Belgium, France and the Netherlands (the last three through Toolstation). The Travis Perkins brand itself has over 700 branches. Other group businesses include Toolstation, BSS for pipework and heating, Keyline for civils and drainage, CCF for insulation and interior products, Benchmarx kitchens and joinery, and TP Managed Services.
The company's history is long. Wikipedia traces it to a joinery and carpentry firm founded in London in 1797 by Benjamin Ingram, which later joined with Perkins. In 1988 Sandell Perkins merged with Travis & Arnold, a Northampton firm that Ernest Travis had founded in 1899, creating Travis Perkins. A 2000-era company profile records its aim of being the most successful company in supplying timber, building materials and tool hire, with priorities of customer care, service, high employment standards and environmental responsibility. We did not find a current written mission, so that older statement is flagged as dated.
Travis Perkins' head office is in Northampton. Its branches are UK-wide, so most people who work there are based in towns and cities rather than at head office. Keyline has over 40 branches in a nationwide network, CCF over 35 and BSS over 50, according to the group's careers page. Wickes, which was once part of the group, was separated into its own listed company in 2021.
On culture, the careers site describes a focus on learning and development, and says that one employee story shows "a culture of promoting continuous learning and development", with published stories of people moving from branch roles to senior leadership. It also links to pages on values, inclusion, sustainability, charity and volunteering, and support for the Armed Forces, although we did not read those pages. These are the company's own descriptions.
The group lists its job families as branch, stores and showrooms (including store assistants and managers), HGV drivers, sales and operations, head office and support functions, supply chain, distribution and fleet, and leadership. That makes it a good place to see how construction works from the supply side: someone has to know what a bricklayer, plumber or kitchen fitter needs, get it to site on time, and keep the books in order. Customer service, practical knowledge and being good with people are the skills that matter most in branches.
Website: www.travisperkins.co.uk
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