James Burrell

What James Burrell does

James Burrell Builders Merchants is a privately held UK regional builders merchants operating since 1877 from its headquarters in Gateshead, England. The company sells building materials across eight core product categories — Building, Bricks, Civils, Timber & Joinery, Roofing, Landscaping, Insulation & Dry Lining, and Hardware — to professional builders, contractors, and tradespeople across the North of England and Yorkshire through a network of nine physical branches in Bishop Auckland, Blyth, Gateshead, Morpeth, Newcastle, Ossett, Rotherham, Stockton, Sunderland, and York.

Revenue is generated through one-time sales of building materials to trade customers, supplemented by complementary services including Express Collect (rapid order pickup) and Trade Account Services (tailored credit accounts for trade buyers). The go-to-market motion is sales-led and branch-based, with credit facilities creating ongoing commercial relationships. The company also offers a Price Increases page and publishes Modern Slavery, Environmental, Health & Safety, and Gender Pay Gap statements, indicating compliance maturity.

The firm holds ISO 9001 (quality management), FORS Silver (fleet operations), PEFC and FSC (sustainable timber sourcing) certifications, and is a member of the Builders Merchants Federation and Fortis Buying Group. It has won BMJ industry awards in three consecutive years and most recently appointed Nick Richardson to its Board of Directors in February 2026 as part of governance strengthening. No proprietary technology, AI/ML capability, or public financial disclosures are present in the available data.

Name

James Burrell

Legal name

James Burrell Builders Merchants

Website

https://jamesburrell.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1877

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

James Burrell is a privately held UK regional builders merchants founded in 1877, operating nine branches across North East England and Yorkshire to supply building materials, timber, bricks, roofing, and hardware to trade builders and contractors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Builders Merchants / Building Materials Distribution

NAICS

Building Material and Supplies Dealers (4441), Other Building Material Dealers (444180)

SIC

Retail-Lumber & Other Building Materials Dealers (5211), Retail-Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply (5200)

akta.pro primary industry

Lumber & Timber Retail (Dimensional Lumber, Plywood, OSB) (CRAIAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Concrete, Cement & Aggregates Retail (Bagged Mix, Sand, Gravel) (CRAIAEAG)

Keywords

• Building materials supply
• Builders merchants
• Construction supplies
• Trade accounts
• Timber and joinery

Headquarters

HQ city

Gateshead

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Building materials supply: James Burrell Builders Merchants generates revenue through the sale of building materials including building supplies, bricks, civils, timber and joinery, roofing, landscaping, insulation and dry lining, and hardware products to trade customers and builders.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

James Burrell Builders Merchants supplies building materials—covering Building, Bricks, Civils, Timber & Joinery, Roofing, Landscaping, Insulation & Dry Lining, and Hardware—through 9 branches in North East England and Yorkshire. The company serves trade customers (builders, contractors, tradespeople) with one-time material sales, Trade Account credit services, and an Express Collect rapid pickup service.

Product overview

James Burrell Builders Merchants is a builders merchants offering a unified product portfolio across eight core categories: Building, Bricks, Civils, Timber & Joinery, Roofing, Landscaping, Insulation & Dry Lining, and Hardware. The company operates nine branches across North East England (Bishop Auckland, Blyth, Gateshead, Morpeth, Newcastle, Ossett, Rotherham, Stockton, Sunderland, York) and provides complementary services including Express Collect for rapid order pickup and Trade Account Services. The business serves trade professionals with materials for construction, renovation, and landscaping projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Building Materials General building materials and supplies for construction projects, supplied to professional builders and contractors.
• Bricks Brick products for masonry and construction applications, supplied to trade customers across the North of England.
• Civils Civil engineering materials and infrastructure products for groundworks and infrastructure projects.
• Timber & Joinery Timber products and custom joinery solutions for construction, backed by PEFC and FSC sustainable forest certifications.
• Roofing Roofing materials and accessories for residential and commercial construction projects.
• Landscaping Landscaping supplies and outdoor materials for garden and external construction projects.
• Insulation & Dry Lining Thermal and acoustic insulation products and dry lining systems for building envelope applications.
• Hardware General hardware tools and equipment for builders and contractors across construction projects.
• Express Collect Rapid order collection service enabling trade customers to pick up pre-ordered materials quickly from any of the 9 branches.
• Trade Account Services Credit account services with tailored offerings for trade customers, supporting recurring material purchases across construction projects.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Fortis Buying GroupminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMembership in Fortis buying group provides access to collective purchasing power and supplier agreements typical of builder merchant buying groups.
• ProSolveminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProSolve charity range - dedicated breast cancer charity product line sold through James Burrell locations.
• VELUXminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVELUX rewards programme offering double rewards to customers during promotional periods.
• FerncominorGTM or Marketing PartnerFernco products available for purchase at James Burrell locations.
• BMF (Builders Merchants Federation)minorOthersTrade association membership providing industry representation and standards.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Jewson: National builders merchant owned by Saint-Gobain, supplying heavyside and lightside building materials to trade customers across the UK. Operates in the same product categories as James Burrell (timber, bricks, roofing, insulation) with broader geographic coverage.
• Buildbase: UK builders merchant brand under the Grafton Group supplying heavyside and lightside building materials to trade customers. Comparable product range and trade-customer model to James Burrell with broader national scale.
• Wickes: UK retailer serving both trade and DIY customers with kitchens, bathrooms, timber, and building materials via a national branch network. Comparable product mix but with broader DIY customer base than James Burrell's pure trade focus.
• Travis Perkins: UK's largest builders merchant with nationwide branch network serving trade customers across general building materials, timber, and heavyside products. Direct overlap with James Burrell's core trade-merchant offering, but at significantly greater scale and geographic reach.

Direct peers

• Huws Gray: UK regional builders merchant with a multi-branch network supplying building materials, timber, and landscaping to trade customers across the Midlands, North Wales, and North West. Comparable regional-merchant scale and trade proposition to James Burrell.
• MKM Building Supplies: Regional builders merchant with a network of branches across the UK serving trade customers with building materials, timber, and bricks. Closest direct comparable in business model and branch-based trade proposition to James Burrell.
• Bradfords Building Supplies: Independent regional builders merchant with branches across the South West of England serving trade customers with building materials, timber, and roofing. Directly comparable in regional-merchant positioning and product mix to James Burrell.
• Gibbs & Dandy: Regional builders merchant serving trade customers across the East of England and Midlands with building materials, timber, and brick products. Directly comparable regional-merchant business model and trade customer base.
• Selco Builders Warehouse: Trade-only builders merchant with a UK-wide branch network offering building materials, timber, and landscaping to trade customers. Comparable trade-only proposition and product range, though with national scale.

Emerging players

• Howden Joinery: UK supplier of kitchens and joinery products to trade customers via a depot network. Adjacent in customer base (trade builders) and depot-distribution model, with overlap in the timber & joinery category carried by James Burrell.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/jamesburrellltd
• Facebookfacebook.com/JamesBurrellBuildersMerchants
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/james-burrell

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about James Burrell