Builders' merchant
Builders' merchants sell building and do-it-yourself products and materials to the building trade and the public.
Average annual salary (starting - experienced): £16,000 - £30,000
Typical hours (a week): 39 - 41
How to become a builders' merchant
You can get into this job through:
- an apprenticeship
- applying directly
Apprenticeship
You could get into this job through a trade supplier intermediate apprenticeship.
Apprenticeship (Entry requirements)
You'll usually need:
- some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
Direct application
You could apply directly to work as a builders' merchant. You may find it useful to have GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), including maths and English. Experience in construction, warehousing or retail could be helpful.
More info
Further information You can find out more about working as a builders' merchant from Building Materials Careers and the Builders Merchants Federation.
What it takes
Skills & Knowledge
You'll need:
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to work well with others
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- customer service skills
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- excellent verbal communication skills
- the ability to work well with your hands
- physical skills like movement, coordination, dexterity and grace
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
Restriction & Requirements
You'll need to:
- have forklift truck driver training for some jobs
For some jobs you'll need to have a C1 licence to drive trucks up to 7.5 tonnes.
What you'll do
Day to day
Your day-to-day tasks could include:
- giving product information to customers
- loading and unloading deliveries by hand or with a forklift truck
- processing orders and handling payments
- moving goods to storage areas
- putting orders together and organising deliveries
- advising customers about which materials to use
Working environment
You could work at a builder's yard or at a store. Your working environment may be physically demanding and outdoors in all weathers. You may need to wear protective clothing.
Career path and progression
Career path & progression
With experience, you could progress to supervisor or manager.
