Builders' merchant
Builders' merchants supply building materials, DIY products and construction equipment to tradespeople and the public.
Typical Salary
£23,000 – £30,000
per year
Working Hours
39–42
hours per week
Day-to-day tasks
As a builders' merchant, you could:
- take customer orders face to face, over the phone and online
- advise customers on products, materials and equipment
- load and unload deliveries by hand or with a forklift truck
- process payments and send out invoices
- put orders together and organise deliveries
- monitor stock, re-order supplies and keep records up to date
Skills needed
- customer service skills
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to work well with others
- excellent verbal communication skills
- to be flexible and open to change
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- physical fitness and endurance
- the ability to organise your time and workload
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
Entry requirements
Some jobs with a builders' merchant may involve driving delivery trucks up to 7.5 tonnes. For these you'll need to have a category C1 driving licence.
How to get into this role
You can get into this job through:
- an apprenticeship
- applying directly
Career progression
With experience, you could become a warehouse team leader, branch manager or area manager.
You might also move into construction plant hire, trade sales or deliveries.
In a larger organisation, you may find opportunties to work in different parts of the business, for example:
- supply chain and logistics
- buying
- sales and marketing