Beesley & Fildes

What Beesley & Fildes does

Beesley & Fildes is a family-owned builders' merchant founded in 1820 in Prescot, England, now headquartered in Huyton, Liverpool. The company operates 9 branches across the North West of England, supported by an in-house sawmill (Clare Sawmills in Widnes), a distribution centre, and a wholly owned garden centre subsidiary (Whitakers Garden Centre). Its product range spans bricks, timber and sheet materials, roofing, civils and drainage, plasterboard, cements and aggregates, insulation, lintels, and a growing landscaping and composite decking category, with FSC C023780 and PEFC 16-37-1068 sustainable timber certifications.

The company serves two primary customer segments: tradespeople and contractors (the larger segment, requiring reliable supply, trade credit, and site delivery) and DIY enthusiasts undertaking home improvement and garden projects. Distribution is hybrid, combining physical branches staffed by counter experts with an e-commerce platform offering click-and-collect, free local delivery over £200 ex VAT, and trade accounts with credit facilities. Pricing is unit-based (per item, metre, or pack) with volume discounts available through trade accounts.

In 2026 the company launched 'Otis', a fully autonomous AI agent on its e-commerce platform developed in partnership with Optiflow Technologies. Otis handles product searches, quotations, trade account management, and complaint handling around the clock, and has reportedly achieved conversion rates more than twice the industry baseline within two weeks of launch. The company remains privately held with no external funding rounds disclosed.

Name

Beesley & Fildes

Legal name

Beesley & Fildes Ltd

Website

https://beesleyandfildes.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1820

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Beesley & Fildes is a family-owned builders' merchant founded in 1820, operating 9 branches across North West England with its own sawmill, distribution centre, and Whitakers Garden Centre subsidiary, supplying building materials to trade contractors and DIY customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Builders' Merchant / Building Materials

NAICS

Lumber, Plywood, Millwork, and Wood Panel Merchant Wholesalers (423310), Roofing, Siding, and Insulation Material Merchant Wholesalers (42333), Brick, Stone, and Related Construction Material Merchant Wholesalers (42332)

SIC

Retail-Lumber & Other Building Materials Dealers (5211), Wholesale-Lumber, Plywood, Millwork & Wood Panels (5031), Wholesale-Lumber & Other Construction Materials (5030)

akta.pro primary industry

Timber Procurement & Wood Dealer/Timber Buying Services (IMAMAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sawmilling & Lumber Production (IMADADAA), Custom/Contract Sawing & Portable Sawmilling (IMAMABAC)

Keywords

• Builders merchant supplies
• Timber building materials
• Construction material retail
• Trade building supplies
• Bricks roofing materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Liverpool

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Building Materials Sales: Beesley & Fildes generates revenue through the sale of building materials including timber, bricks, roofing, landscaping products, and general building supplies through their physical branches and e-commerce platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Beesley & Fildes is a North West England builders' merchant selling timber, bricks, roofing materials, landscaping products, plasterboard, insulation, drainage, cements, aggregates, lintels and related building supplies through 9 physical branches and an e-commerce platform. The company operates its own sawmill (Clare Sawmills) and timber treatment facilities, offers trade credit accounts with site delivery, click-and-collect services, and a recently launched autonomous AI customer service agent called Otis.

Product overview

Beesley & Fildes operates as a builders' merchant offering a comprehensive portfolio of building materials and related services. The core offering spans multiple product categories: bricks and blocks, timber and sheet materials, garden and landscaping supplies (including paving, fencing, composite decking), roofing materials, civils and drainage, plasterboard, cements and aggregates, insulation, and steel lintels (Birtley range). The company is distinguished by its proprietary AI agent Otis (developed with Optiflow Technologies) deployed on its ecommerce platform for autonomous customer interactions. Services complement the product range and include click-and-collect, trade credit accounts, brick matching, timber treatment (tanalised), a kitchen and bathroom showroom, and ready-mixed concrete supply. The business operates over 10 physical branches across the North West of England with a sawmill and distribution centre.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Whitakers Garden Centre: Prestigious garden centre operated as part of the Beesley & Fildes group, offering outdoor living and garden products.

Products and services

• Bricks A wide variety of bricks for residential, commercial, and industrial construction projects, available in multiple sizes, textures and finishes including special engineering bricks and weathering pressed bricks, sold per unit (£0.50-£1.17 each) to trade and DIY customers.
• Timber and Sheet Materials Structural timber for framing, treated timber for outdoor projects and sheet materials including plywood, MDF, chipboard and OSB, sourced from FSC and PEFC-certified suppliers and processed in part through the company's Clare Sawmills.
• Garden and Landscaping Materials Landscaping materials including porcelain, concrete, sandstone and granite paving slabs, block paving, fencing panels, decking boards, decorative aggregates, garden sleepers, artificial grass, and resin bound driveway systems, sold to trade contractors and DIY landscapers.
• Roofing Materials Roofing supplies including roof tiles and slates, flat roofing systems (EPDM, GRP fibreglass), lead and flashband, roofing felts and membranes, rainwater gutter systems and roof windows from brands such as Velux and Dakea, supplied to roofing contractors and self-builders.
• Civils and Drainage Underground drainage pipes (110mm and 160mm PVCu), drainage channels, ducting systems, manhole covers and grids, geotextiles and flexible couplings for civil engineering and infrastructure projects.
• Plasterboard and Plastering Plasterboard in 9mm, 12.5mm and 15mm thicknesses, moisture resistant and fire-rated variants, insulated plasterboard, plaster, metal stud partitioning, beads, mesh and associated plastering accessories.
• Cements and Aggregates Cement, mortar, damp proof course (DPC), damp proof membrane (DPM), floor levelling compound, standard sand and aggregates, cement colouring dyes and road and drive repair products for construction and renovation projects.
• Insulation Products Broad range of insulation products from Rockwool, Isover, Knauf, PIR and polystyrene, multifoil insulation, cavity stop socks, and loft and wall insulation for residential and commercial buildings.
• Lintels Steel lintels from the Birtley range for cavity wall, solid wall, timber frame and 100mm external wall applications, all hot-dip galvanised after manufacture, with pricing from £27 to £421 per unit depending on specification.
• Composite Decking Boards Composite decking ranges including TRUdeck (3.6m x 142mm x 22mm capped dual-tone boards in Venice Grey & Parma Teak, Florence Mist & Trento Silver, Monza Black & Tuscan Brown) and Composite Prime HD Deck (3D and Dual variants with True Grain colour mixing, 25-year guarantee), for garden and outdoor projects.
• Click and Collect Online ordering service allowing customers to place orders via the website and collect them from a local branch, available on orders under £75 ex VAT across all 9 North West branches.
• Trade Account Program Trade credit accounts for professional builders and contractors offering benefits including exclusive trade pricing, credit facilities, free delivery to construction sites, and dedicated account management support.
• Brick Matching Service Expert brick matching service helping trade and DIY customers find bricks with the right colour, manufacturer and texture to match existing brickwork in renovation, extension or repair projects.
• Tanalised Timber Treatment In-house timber treatment service using copper triazole technology to extend timber lifespan by up to 40 years, protecting against insect damage, rot, warping, splitting and cracking for outdoor construction and landscaping applications.
• Kitchen and Bathroom Showroom Brick showroom at the Huyton branch displaying kitchen and bathroom products, staffed by a knowledgeable team providing expert guidance for renovation and self-build customers.
• Ready Mixed Concrete, Mortar and Screed Supply Ready mixed concrete, mortar and screed supplied in partnership with fibo Collect UK and delivered to construction sites across the North West.
• Whitakers Garden Centre Wholly-owned subsidiary garden centre operating as part of the Beesley & Fildes group, offering outdoor living products, plants, garden sundries and complementary landscaping materials.

Quantifiable outcome

• AI agent conversion rate more than 2x industry baseline within 2 weeks

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Optiflow TechnologiescoreTechnology or Integration · 3 June 2026Optiflow Technologies developed the autonomous AI agent 'Otis' in partnership with Beesley & Fildes. Otis was launched on Beesley & Fildes' ecommerce platform to handle product searches, quotations, trade account management and complaints around the clock. The platform reportedly converts at more than twice the industry baseline within two weeks. Optiflow Technologies is actively expanding its AI agent deployment across the broader builders' merchant sector.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Jewson: Major UK builders' merchant with hundreds of branches, directly competing with Beesley & Fildes across timber, bricks, roofing and general building materials for trade and DIY customers nationwide.
• Selco Builders Warehouse: Trade-only builders' merchant with 70+ branches across the UK, directly comparable as a trade-focused building materials supplier with similar product range and target customer base.
• Wickes: UK retailer of building materials and home improvement products serving both trade and DIY customers through a network of stores and online platform, overlapping significantly with Beesley & Fildes' dual trade/DIY model.
• Travis Perkins: The UK's largest builders' merchant with 500+ branches, directly comparable to Beesley & Fildes in core product categories (timber, bricks, roofing, landscaping) and trade customer base, but operating at significantly greater national scale.
• Buildbase: UK builders' merchant chain with branches across England, Scotland and Wales, directly comparable in product range (timber, bricks, roofing, insulation) and trade customer focus.
• Huws Gray: Growing UK builders' merchant with strong presence in Wales and the North West of England, directly competing with Beesley & Fildes in overlapping regional markets with similar trade-focused product offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Kingfisher (B&Q and Screwfix): Pan-European home improvement group operating B&Q and Screwfix, overlapping with Beesley & Fildes' building materials and DIY customer segments, though at much larger scale and with a broader product portfolio.
• Howden Joinery: UK supplier of kitchen, joinery and building products to trade customers through a national depot network, comparable in the trade customer model and building products range, though with a stronger kitchen and joinery focus.
• STARK Group (Jewson, Stark Building Materials): European building materials distribution group that owns Jewson and other UK merchants, directly comparable as a building materials distributor serving the same trade customer base, though operating at significantly larger scale across multiple European markets.

Regional players

• Bradfords Building Supplies: Regional builders' merchant founded in 1770 with branches across the South West and Wales, comparable as a long-established independent regional merchant with similar product range and trade customer focus, though operating in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Beesley & Fildes