Wolseley wins major pub chain contract
Charles Wells, the UK's largest independent brewery and pub company operator, has awarded Wolseley UK an exclusive three-year contract to supply materials and products for a repairs and refurbishment programme.
The contract will see Wolseley UK acting as sole supplier of building materials, plumbing and ironmongery parts and equipment hire, for the maintenance and development of 250 public houses. It will involve the Build Center, Plumb Center, Hire Center and Unifix brands, all under the umbrella of Wolseley UK.
The works are part of an ongoing investment to improve the general appearance of the public houses, as well as improve existing outside areas. This move is in response to the ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces, which is coming into force in England in the summer of 2007.
Wolseley UK will advise the company's project managers on which materials and fixtures to use based on energy efficiency considerations, and work in partnership with the building contractors.
To help minimise the time and cost of each project, Wolseley UK has designated one point of contact for each refurbishment. This will ensure the materials and products for each project are delivered when they are needed, enabling contractors to avoid delays, and get the public houses back in business.
Roger Bell, Head of Estate Management at Charles Wells, says: "Charles Wells is pleased to be associated with Wolseley UK, as its attention to detail and customer service mirrors our own approach. The agreement has taken a while to develop because we started relatively small scale, with a plumbing and sanitaryware agreement about 18 months ago. The growing need to drive both value and quality from our property portfolio, and the needs of our retail customers, led us to explore this further.
"We were also impressed with the buying power of Wolseley UK, and its commitment to sustainable and environmental issues. With rising gas and electric prices, and impending water shortages, Wolseley UK’s research and development programme will offer long term benefits to our estate and licensees."
