Richard Williams

What Richard Williams does

MKM Building Supplies is a UK private builders' merchant founded in 1995 by David Kilburn, operating 140+ branches nationwide. The company sells a broad portfolio of building materials (bricks, blocks, cement, plasterboard, insulation), timber (carcassing, CLS, battens, OSB, plywood), landscaping products (aggregates, gravel, fencing, decking, paving, sleepers), and tools, alongside complementary services including Tool & Equipment Hire, free Kitchen and Bathroom Design, an Estimating Service, a U-Value Calculator, and Tradeshake. Its primary customer segments are trade professionals (builders, contractors, tradespeople) and DIY consumers undertaking renovations. The business is delivered through a branch-centric model that emphasises local expertise, free local delivery, click & collect, and direct face-to-face or phone-based sales — explicitly without call centres or chatbots — with trade discounts and £1,000 credit facilities for account holders.

MKM's go-to-market combines a physical branch network, an e-commerce platform (mkm.com), a mobile app (iOS and Android), and active social media channels (Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, YouTube). Trade customers access account-based pricing and credit terms, while DIY customers transact online or in-branch. Distribution is purely domestic (UK), with no international footprint. The company is privately held under MKM Building Supplies Limited, with no disclosed parent company or institutional investor; David Kilburn remains identified as the founder and the business appears founder-led with independent ownership.

The firm has no disclosed proprietary technology platform and offers no API, SDK, or AI/ML capabilities. Its competitive differentiators centre on distribution density (140+ branches), branch-level local adaptation, established 30-year brand reputation, and a sustainability profile highlighted by the Gold EcoVadis Medal (top 5% of 150,000+ companies globally). Strategic positioning in 2026 has been reinforced through partnerships with the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) and board representation at the Builders Merchant Federation (BMF), embedding MKM within UK trade-industry governance structures.

Name

Richard Williams

Legal name

MKM Building Supplies Limited

Website

https://rwdl.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MKM Building Supplies is a UK private builders' merchant operating 140+ branches nationwide, selling building materials, timber, landscaping products, and tools to trade professionals and DIY consumers via physical branches, e-commerce, and a mobile app.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Building Materials Retail

NAICS

Building Material and Garden Equipment and Supplies Dealers (444), 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
• Landscaping materials
• Timber supplies
• Trade building supplies

Headquarters

HQ city

Not specified

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

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. Retail Branch Sales: Physical and online sales of building materials through 140+ branches. Customers can purchase online with click & collect or free local delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MKM operates a branch-led builders' merchant business selling construction materials, timber, landscaping products, doors and joinery, kitchens, bathrooms, paint, plumbing, electrical, tools and fixings through 140+ UK branches and an online store. Customers can purchase online with click & collect or free local delivery, register for trade accounts with discounts and £1,000 credit, and access complementary services including tool and equipment hire, free kitchen and bathroom design, an estimating service, and a U-Value calculator.

Product overview

MKM Building Supplies is a UK builders' merchant offering a comprehensive portfolio of building materials, timber, landscaping products, and tools. The core offering centers on construction materials including bricks, blocks, cement, concrete, mortar, insulation, plaster and plasterboard, and sheet materials. Their timber range includes carcassing, CLS, battens, and sheet materials like OSB and plywood. Landscaping offerings encompass aggregates, gravel, topsoil, fencing, decking, paving, and sleepers. The company operates as a single unified offering with complementary services including Tool & Equipment Hire, FREE Kitchen Design, FREE Bathroom Design, Estimating Service, U-Value Calculator, and Tradeshake. With over 140 branches nationwide, MKM provides trade and DIY customers with local expertise, free local delivery, and click & collect options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Building Materials Core construction materials category sold across all 140+ UK branches and online, including cement (e.g. Hanson Cement Multicem 25kg, Hanson general purpose Portland cement 25kg), concrete blocks (440 x 215 x 100mm dense concrete 73N block), plasterboard (Siniat standard plasterboard 2400 x 1200 x 12.5mm square edge and tapered edge), bricks, insulation, plaster, mortar, sand and aggregates. Targeted at trade professionals and DIY consumers building or renovating properties.
• Timber and Sheet Materials Timber and sheet materials category sold across UK branches and online, including rough sawn green-treated carcassing (22 x 100mm and 22mm x 150mm), C24 regularised carcassing (47 x 150mm), hardwood faced plywood (2440 x 1220 x 18mm), OSB3 conditioned board (2440 x 1220 x 11mm BBA-certified) and incised UC4 green-treated fence posts (100 x 100 x 2.4m, 15-year guarantee). Targeted at trade professionals and DIYers needing structural framing and sheet materials.
• Landscaping Materials Landscaping materials category sold across UK branches and online, including sharp sand bulk bag, 10mm and 20mm gravel bulk bags, 40mm plum slate chippings bulk bag, topsoil, decorative aggregates, fencing, decking, paving and sleepers. Targeted at trade landscapers and DIY consumers undertaking garden and outdoor projects.
• Free Kitchen Design Service Free kitchen design service accessed via the website enquiry form, available to homeowners undertaking kitchen projects and to trade professionals. Customers submit an enquiry through the kitchens category and receive a free kitchen design from the merchant's design team.
• Free Bathroom Design Service Free bathroom design service accessed via the website enquiry form, available to homeowners and trade professionals undertaking bathroom renovation projects, with design support from the merchant's design team.
• Tool and Equipment Hire Hire service for tools and equipment offered alongside the tools category, accessible through branches and online, supporting trade professionals and DIY consumers who need equipment for short-term projects without purchasing outright.
• Estimating Service Estimating service that supports customers in calculating required quantities of building materials for their projects, accessible via the Tools & Services menu.
• U-Value Calculator Online U-Value calculator hosted at uvalue.mkm.com that lets customers calculate thermal performance and insulation requirements for building projects, accessed via the Tools & Services menu.
• Trade Account with Credit Facility Registered trade account providing trade discounts, account-based selling, and a £1,000 credit facility for trade professionals purchasing building materials through branches and online.
• Tradeshake Trade Loyalty Programme Trade loyalty and engagement programme accessed via the Tradeshake page, designed to retain and reward trade customers who purchase building materials through the merchant.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• The Federation of Master Builders (FMB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 June 2026MKM is working in partnership with the FMB, supporting local builders and helping raise standards across the industry. This partnership provides support to trade professionals and contributes to industry standards.
• Builders Merchant Federation (BMF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 June 2026MKM has representation on the BMF Board with Dave Castle serving as a BMF Board Member, providing industry leadership and influence in the building materials sector.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wickes: UK home improvement retailer with 200+ stores selling building materials, kitchens, and bathrooms to trade and DIY customers; overlapping consumer-side assortment with MKM, including kitchen and bathroom design services.
• Jewson: Major UK builders' merchant owned by Saint-Gobain Distribution, operating 600+ branches selling timber, bricks, landscaping, and tools to trade and DIY customers with similar account-based pricing and credit offerings to MKM.
• Travis Perkins: UK's largest builders' merchant group operating 1,000s of branches (including Travis Perkins, Toolstation, Keyline) serving trade professionals and DIY customers with a comparable mix of building materials, tool hire, and trade accounts.
• Buildbase: UK builders' merchant group (part of Grafton Group) operating over 200 branches, supplying building materials, timber, and civils products to trade professionals with similar branch-centric and credit-account economics.
• Selco Builders Warehouse: Trade-only builders' merchant with 50+ UK branches selling timber, cement, landscaping and tools exclusively to trade customers; closest trade-only comparable to MKM's account-based trade offering.
• Bradfords: Regional UK builders' merchant founded in 1770, with branches across the South West serving trade and DIY customers on building materials, kitchens, and landscaping, comparable to MKM's regional, branch-localised model.
• Huws Gray: Independent UK builders' merchant with 100+ branches focused on serving local trades and contractors; recently taken private via management buyout and a major regional competitor to MKM's branch-led, trade-account model.
• Howdens Joinery: UK kitchen and joinery supplier with 800+ depots operating a trade-only model selling to kitchen installers and builders; comparable to MKM's free kitchen/bathroom design and trade-account-driven approach.

Broad incumbents

• Grafton Group: Publicly listed UK and Irish builders' merchant group (owner of Buildbase, Selco, and other brands), a broader incumbency comparable to MKM with multiple specialist merchant formats under one corporate parent.
• Saint-Gobain Distribution UK: UK arm of Saint-Gobain, parent of Jewson and other distribution brands, providing the broader incumbent comparison to MKM's merchant business with much larger capital base and cross-category reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mkmbs
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCpFgRDFvSrLp9JcoXXO34rw
• Facebookfacebook.com/MKMBS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/richard-williams
• Instagraminstagram.com/mkm.buildingsupplies/?hl=en
• TikToktiktok.com/@mkm.buildingsupplies

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Richard Williams