The day's genuinely new item is a merchant-sector appointment rather than a product: h&b Group has named Steve Durdant-Hollamby as Chairman. Buying group leadership is invisible to most people at the trade counter, but it is the machinery that keeps independent merchants competitive against the nationals, and this appointment is notable for the appointee having worked both sides of the merchant-supplier relationship — Lords Group Trading on merchanting, Genuit Group on manufacturing.
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Top Stories
Steve Durdant-Hollamby named Chairman of h&b Buying Group
h&b Group has announced Steve Durdant-Hollamby as its new Chairman. His background spans senior roles in both merchanting (Lords Group Trading) and manufacturing (Genuit Group), which is unusual and directly relevant — a buying group chairman's core job is negotiating terms between independent merchants and the manufacturers supplying them. For UK trades, healthy buying groups are what keep the independent on the local trading estate viable, with competitive pricing and local stock.
Source: Professional Builders Merchant | Full piece
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Also in Brief
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- CUPA PIZARRAS fixing specification tool: Free BS 5534-based online tool generating slate fixing specs from site exposure, pitch and slate choice. Source: Professional Builder | Full piece
- Saniflo Saniboost Smart booster pump: Variable-speed mains boost, up to 97 l/min and 5.5 bar with adjustable output from 1.5 bar and dry-run protection. Worth checking Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations consent before specifying a direct mains boost. Source: Professional Builder | Full piece
- Wet weather safety boots: Overland Shoes' seasonal case for autumn and winter footwear, and our walk-through of the revised EN ISO 20345 markings — the S3 water-resistant vs WR/S7 waterproof distinction is the one that costs people money. Source: Professional Builder | Full piece
- Angle grinder buying guide: Our new guide covering 115mm vs 125mm vs 230mm, disc selection by material, and the safety features worth paying for. Source: ITS Hub | Full guide
- Evergreen catalogue pages (no new information): Milwaukee's power tools, impact drivers, impact wrenches and battery/charger kit pages, Makita's workwear site and battery transportation PDF, and ITS Hub's drill, drill bit, EV charger and Makita gardening guides all resurfaced unchanged. All have standing coverage in this project; no new pieces warranted.
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Watchlist
- h&b Group: next set of member and supplier numbers, and whether the new chairmanship signals any change of direction on supplier terms or member services.
- Milwaukee HEXON heated gear: ITS Hub published an explainer on this today (3 September) — it is the first substantive new tools content in the packs for several days, and we have covered it separately.
- The four persistently failing sources (Tool Advice, Professional Electrician & Installer, Powertool Superstore, Power Tool World) are now into their second week of collection errors and are narrowing the pack's coverage of pure power-tool news.
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