Kent Blaxill rated top merchant in East Anglia

Kent Blaxill has been rated as East Anglia’s top performing building supplies company in an index measuring sales growth and efficiency, compiled by a leading builders’ merchant magazine.

The Builders Merchants Journal’s (BMJ) Index, published in January, ranks Kent Blaxill in sixth position across the country, ahead of all the larger national buildings supplies companies. The BMJ Index measures factors including sales growth, stockturn and operating margin.

With sales growth of 2.4% in 2009, Kent Blaxill was one of only eight building suppliescompanies in the country to record sales growth during the year (the most recent year for which all companies have figures available). The company employs 219 people at its eight building, decorating and glass centres around the region.

Simon Blaxill, Kent Blaxill managing director, said: “2009 was a difficult year, so it was very gratifying to achieve some sales growth and avoid any redundancies. It has been an added bonus that we performed so well compared with other merchants nationally, and reflects the hard work and innovative thinking put in by everyone, as well as the close links we have built with our key customers.”

Builders Merchants Journal showed that the country’s 20 largest builders’ merchants cut staff numbers by an average of 10.6%. Kent Blaxill expects to rate well again in the index for 2010.
Spring 2010