About Reflections by Plumbase
Reflections are pleased to be part of Plumbase, one of the largest plumbing and heating merchants in the country. Plumbase itself is part of Grafton Merchanting GB, a division of Grafton Group plc, giving you reassurance and peace of mind that comes with being part of a large merchanting business.
About Plumbase
Plumbase originates from H. Bradley Ltd., a six branch plumbing and heating merchant in central London that joined Grafton Group in February 1994. In October that year, Grafton also acquired Lumley and Hunt, a five branch merchant that operated in and around Sussex. In 1997, the company acquired a single branch heating spares company in Aston, Birmingham trading as Time & Temperature. During 1998 Grafton Group acquired British Dredging, an acquisition that included 5 branches in the Midlands. These were added to the plumbing and heating merchant profile. On 14th May 1998, the company's name was changed from H. Bradley Ltd. to Plumbase Ltd.
Growth continued and by the end of 1999, the company was trading from 39 branches. In 2000, Plumbase more than doubled its size with the back-to-back acquisitions of E J Thompsons and Essex Heating Supplies, taking the branch network to 85 branches that included the opening of 8 greenfield sites. Plumbase has continued to grow its network of branches and is currently one of the largest plumbing and heating merchants in the country, trading from more than 180 branches throughout the UK. In England and Wales the company primarily trades as Plumbase and in Scotland as Plumbline. There are also a number of Bathroom & Kitchen Showrooms, most of which are attached to Plumbase branches. Plumbase is a trading division of Grafton Merchanting GB and trades under the brand names of Plumbase, Plumbline, Time & Temperature, Fireside and Reflections.
About Grafton Merchanting GB and Grafton Group plc
Grafton Merchanting GB was formed in April 2008 to integrate Grafton Group’s GB merchanting businesses within a single structure. Grafton Merchanting GB is a major player in the builders and plumbers merchants industry because it brings together the majority of Grafton Group’s merchant subsidiaries in Great Britain. In total we trade from over 400 locations, employ approximately 7,500 staff and have a turnover in excess of £1bn. Our businesses or ‘brands’ are leading merchants and specialists in their own fields. These well-known brands are Buildbase, Plumbase, Jackson Building Centres, Civils & Lintels, Hirebase, PDM, Hendricks Lovell, L&G Forest Products, Keelsupply, Acorn Insulation & Drywall, Southern Drylining & Insulation, Progress Group, Secon Solar and Corgi Direct.
Grafton Group plc is an independent, profit growth oriented company operating primarily in the Merchanting, DIY Retailing and Mortar Manufacturing markets in Britain and Ireland. Grafton’s strategy is to build on its strong market positions in Merchanting, DIY Retailing and Mortar Manufacturing, to develop in related markets and to grow in businesses with which it is familiar. The Merchanting segment operates from 522 builders and plumbers merchanting branches. It trades under the Buildbase, Plumbase, Jackson and Selco brands in Britain and under the Heiton Buckley, Chadwicks and Macnaughton Blair brands in Ireland. These brands have leading national and regional market positions. In Britain, Grafton operates the third largest builders merchanting business and is among the top five plumbers merchanting businesses.
The Merchanting segment also operates the largest merchanting business in Ireland. The network of merchanting branches mainly supply trade customers engaged in residential, repair, maintenance and improvement projects. The Retailing segment incorporates the largest DIY retailing business in Ireland, trading nationally from 41 stores under the Woodie’s DIY and Atlantic Homecare brands, and a seven store kitchens business that trades under the In-House and Panelling Centre brands. The Manufacturing segment comprises the largest dry mortar business in Britain where it operates from nine plants and also includes the manufacture of mortar, plastics and windows in Ireland.
Grafton Group plc has strong national and regional market positions in the Merchanting, DIY Retailing and Mortar Manufacturing markets in Britain and Ireland. In 2009, sixty eight per cent of Group turnover was generated in the UK. The market sectors that Grafton operates within offer attractive growth prospects, with potential to earn above average returns on capital invested. e