MKM Building Supplies

What MKM Building Supplies does

MKM Building Supplies Limited is a UK-based independent builders' merchant founded in 1995 by David Kilburn and headquartered in Hull. The company distributes building materials and home improvement products through a network of 140+ physical branches across England, Scotland, and Wales, supplemented by an integrated e-commerce platform (mkm.com) and a dedicated iOS/Android mobile application. Its product range spans 12 categories including bathrooms, building materials, doors/windows/joinery, electrical, kitchens, landscaping, fixings, paint and decorating, plumbing and heating, tiles, timber, and tools and equipment, with a recent emphasis on sustainable building products such as air source heat pumps, EV charging, and solar panels.

The company's technology layer combines a branch-specific pricing and stock engine with online ordering, click and collect, free local delivery (typically within a 10-mile catchment using its own HIAB-equipped fleet), and value-added digital tools including a U-Value Calculator, a Tradeshake contract creation integration, and a professional Easy Estimate takeoff service. The 2024 acquisition of Oceanair UK added HVAC and heat pump distribution, and the company runs MKM Hire (tool and plant rental) plus free kitchen and bathroom design services at branch level. The mobile app supports Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Pay by Bank and allows ordering without account creation, lowering friction for ad hoc DIY buyers.

MKM makes money primarily through one-time sales of building materials to two principal customer segments: trade professionals (builders, contractors, plumbers, electricians) on credit accounts with limits from £1,000 and up to 60 days interest-free credit, and DIY/home improvement customers on cash accounts paying per transaction. Ancillary revenue streams include paid professional estimating services (from £120 plus VAT) and tool/equipment hire on a usage basis. Go-to-market is branch-centric sales-led, with no call centres and a stated emphasis on in-person local expertise; supporting digital channels include social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, X), email newsletters, and a content blog. The company remains privately held with historical private equity backing from 3i Group and LDC.

Name

MKM Building Supplies

Legal name

MKM Building Supplies Limited

Website

https://mkm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

MKM Building Supplies is a UK-independent builders' merchant founded in 1995, distributing building materials and home improvement products through 140+ branches, an e-commerce platform, and a mobile app to trade professionals and DIY customers across England, Scotland, and Wales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Building Materials Distribution

NAICS

Building Material and Supplies Dealers (4441)

SIC

Wholesale-Lumber & Other Construction Materials (5030)

akta.pro primary industry

Construction, Hardware & MRO Supply Clubs (Trades/Contractors) (CRAEAEAG)

Keywords

• Building materials supply
• Builders merchant
• Construction materials distribution
• Trade building supplies
• DIY home improvement

Headquarters

HQ city

Kingston upon Hull

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Building Materials Sales: One-time product sales across wide range of building materials including bricks, blocks, cement, timber, landscaping, plumbing, heating, kitchens, bathrooms. Products sold through branches, online, and mobile app with free local delivery or click & collect.
2. Trade Credit Accounts: Flexible credit accounts for trade customers offering credit limits from £1000, up to 60 days interest free credit, and personalized trade pricing. Provides recurring revenue through repeat purchases.
3. Cash Account Sales: Instant open accounts for walk-in and online customers paying as they go with consistent fair pricing.
4. Tool & Equipment Hire: Rental service for tools and plant equipment including JCB, power tools, breakers, dumpers through partnership with brands like JCB, Dragon, Bosch. Available at select branches with delivery options.
5. Professional Estimating Service: Charged service for material estimation and project pricing, starting from £120 plus VAT, with various report types including customer summary, detailed estimates, and contractor BOQ.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

MKM Building Supplies is an independent UK builders' merchant operating a network of over 140 branches nationwide, selling a comprehensive range of building materials across 12 categories (bricks, blocks, cement, timber, landscaping, plumbing, heating, kitchens, bathrooms, paint, electrical, tools). The company serves both trade professionals and DIY customers through physical branches, an integrated e-commerce platform, and a mobile app, offering trade credit accounts, free local delivery, click & collect, tool hire, professional estimating, and free kitchen and bathroom design services.

Product overview

MKM Building Supplies operates as a UK-based builders' merchant with a physical branch network of over 140 locations and a unified e-commerce platform. The core offering is the online building materials store spanning 12 product categories (bathrooms, building materials, doors/windows/joinery, electrical, kitchens, landscaping, nails/screws/fixings, paint/decorating, plumbing/heating, tiles, timber, tools/equipment). This is complemented by value-added services: MKM Hire (equipment rental), Easy Estimate (professional estimating), Tradeshake (contract management), Kitchen Design Service, and Bathroom Design Service. The MKM Mobile App provides mobile access to account management and ordering. The company also emphasizes its sustainable building product range covering heat pumps, EV charging, insulation, and solar panels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Building Materials Supply

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% repeat business rate for estimating service
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Oceanair UKcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 February 2024MKM acquired Oceanair UK, a Nottinghamshire-based distributor of air conditioning and heat pump products. Oceanair will continue operating under its existing name with operations in Crawley and Mansfield. The founder Tony Evanson remains with the company. This acquisition expands MKM into the HVAC sector and the emerging heat pump market.
• Spey Valley Timber & Builders MerchantscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 August 2021MKM acquired Spey Valley Timber & Builders Merchants, expanding its presence in Scotland. The acquisition included plans to add a showroom and enhance the product range at the Scottish Highlands branch.
• TradeshakeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership offering MKM customers access to Tradeshake's contract creation platform. MKM customers can use code MKMVIP to get unlimited contracts for free. Tradeshake contracts are legally compliant with English and Scottish law.
• Various Brand Partners (Siniat, Velux, DeWalt, Hanson, Ideal, Kingspan, Polypipe, Daikin)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMKM stocks and distributes products from major building materials and HVAC brands including Siniat (plasterboard), Velux (roofing), DeWalt (tools), Hanson (cement), Ideal (heating), Kingspan (insulation), Polypipe (plumbing), and Daikin (HVAC).

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bradfords Building Supplies: Independent regional builders' merchant operating ~40 branches across the South West of England. Bradfords is the closest independent-merchant comparable to MKM in business model, customer mix, and regional concentration, just at materially smaller scale.
• Jewson: Major UK builders' merchant owned by STARK Group. Jewson operates a comparable branch-based model selling lumber, building materials, and kitchens/bathrooms to trade professionals, directly overlapping with MKM's core proposition and customer base.
• Travis Perkins: The UK's largest builders' merchant with ~1,800 branches. Travis Perkins operates an almost identical trade-and-DIY building materials model with branch-centric distribution, trade credit accounts, and tool hire — making it the closest direct competitor to MKM, just at substantially greater scale.
• Ridgeons: Independent East Anglian builders' merchant with branches across Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, and Essex. Ridgeons is a regional independent-merchant peer operating the same trade-and-DIY building materials model as MKM.
• Selco Builders Warehouse: Trade-only builders' merchant and part of Grafton Group. Selco targets the same trade professional segment as MKM with a no-frills, in-and-out branch format and competitive trade pricing — a direct head-to-head competitor in many UK regions.
• Wickes: UK DIY and trade retailer with a national branch network selling building materials, kitchens, and bathrooms. Wickes overlaps directly with MKM across both trade and DIY segments, particularly in the kitchen, bathroom, and finishing categories.
• Buildbase: Builders' merchant group (historically independent, now part of Grafton Group) operating branches across the UK. Buildbase was one of MKM's principal independent-merchant competitors before consolidation, and remains comparable in product mix and trade-customer focus.
• Lawsons: Independent London and South East builders' merchant. Lawsons competes head-to-head with MKM in the South East on trade building materials supply, with overlapping product ranges and trade customer overlap.
• Howdens Joinery: UK supplier of kitchens and joinery products sold via local depots to trade customers. Howdens shares MKM's branch-depot and trade-account model, though with a more focused kitchen/joinery product range rather than full-line building materials.
• EH Smith: Family-owned independent builders' merchant operating across the Midlands. EH Smith is a like-for-like independent merchant competitor with a similar mix of trade accounts, building materials, kitchens, and bathrooms.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mkmbs
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCpFgRDFvSrLp9JcoXXO34rw
• Facebookfacebook.com/mkm-building-supplies-106773872718315
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mkm-building-supplies
• Instagraminstagram.com/mkm.buildingsupplies/?hl=en
• TikToktiktok.com/@mkm.buildingsupplies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

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

M&A5 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about MKM Building Supplies