Builders' merchant

Builders' merchants supply building materials, DIY products and construction equipment to tradespeople and the public.

• Starter salary£23,000 a year
• Experienced£30,000 a year
• Typical hours39 to 42 a week

What you'll do

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

Working environment

You could work at a builder's yard, at a store or in a warehouse.

Your working environment may be physically demanding and outdoors in all weathers.

You may need to wear protective clothing.

Skills and knowledge you'll need

You'll need:

• 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

How to become a builders' merchant

You can get into this job through:

• an apprenticeship
• applying directly

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do an apprenticeship with a building supplies company, such as:

• Retail Service, Supply and Administration Level 2 Foundation Apprenticeship
• Trade Supplier Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship

You could also do a Hire Controller (plant, tools and equipment) Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship, if you want to work in construction plant hire.

Direct application

You could apply directly to work as a builders' merchant.

Employers may want you to have GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), including maths and English.

Experience in retail or warehousing could also be useful.

Foundation apprenticeship

You can apply for a foundation apprenticeship if you're aged 16 to 21.

If you're aged 22 to 24, you can apply if you:

• have an education, health and care (EHC) plan
• are in care or have been in care
• are in prison or have been in prison

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• no specific qualifications or experience to apply for a foundation apprenticeship
• some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

Restrictions and requirements

You'll need to:

• have forklift truck driver training for some jobs

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.

Career path and 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

Career tips

A background in the construction industry, for example painting and decorating or working with timber, could be helpful, though is not essential.

Good IT skills are useful for using computerised stock and booking systems but employers will give you training when you start.

Guides for this industry

• Construction & Trades: pay, interviews and getting started →

Related roles

• Job roleWarehouse worker
• Job roleWarehouse manager
• Job roleForklift driver
• Job roleHGV driver
• Job roleCustomer service assistant

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