Builders' merchants in Wiltshire and Somerset, in numbers
Official counts of businesses in this trade, council area by council area, and how they've changed. Every figure links to where it comes from.
Wholesale of timber and building materials
110 based in Wiltshire and Somerset's five council areas in March 2026, down 12% since 2010. Across England: down 1%.
| Council area | 2010 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Wiltshire | 40 | 35 |
| Swindon | 10 | 10 |
| Somerset | 45 | 35 |
| Bath and North East Somerset | 15 | 10 |
| North Somerset | 15 | 20 |
| All five | 125 | 110 |
What this counts: SIC 46730. Builders' and timber merchants, plus sanitaryware wholesalers.
Hardware, paint and glass shops
140 based in Wiltshire and Somerset's five council areas in March 2026, down 7% since 2010. Across England: down 2%.
| Council area | 2010 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Wiltshire | 45 | 40 |
| Swindon | 10 | 15 |
| Somerset | 55 | 45 |
| Bath and North East Somerset | 25 | 20 |
| North Somerset | 15 | 20 |
| All five | 150 | 140 |
What this counts: SIC 47520. DIY and hardware retailers that also sell to the public.
What we list
We list 9 merchants based in Wiltshire and Somerset. Official counts and our list measure different things: the count covers every registered business with this industry code, and we only list firms whose details we could check. See the list
A short history
I could not find a fetchable primary source for the history of builders’ and timber merchants in England, so no history is given here. The Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) site gives no founding year 4.
What can be said is who represents the trade today. The BMF is a trade association for building materials businesses in the UK and Ireland. It says it represents the majority of merchants and suppliers in the sector 4. It lists 1,020 members, of which 511 are merchants and 307 are suppliers 4. These are the BMF’s own figures.
What it costs
The government publishes monthly statistics on building materials and components. The July 2026 edition was published on 5 August 2026 1. The price indices are for the UK. They were rebased to 2015 = 100 in the November 2020 publication 2. They measure changes in material prices over time. They do not give the price of any one product at a merchant.
The commentary reports these changes for June 2026 2:
- All work: up 6.0% on June 2025, and up 1.0% on May 2026.
- New housing: up 5.0% on the year, and up 1.6% on the month.
- Other new work: up 6.8% on the year, and up 0.5% on the month.
- Repair and maintenance: up 5.7% on the year, and up 1.5% on the month.
- Cement: down 4.5% in the 12 months to June 2026.
The commentary gives no price index figure for timber or bricks 2. The index shows direction, not cost. No published price for a given product at a Wiltshire or Somerset merchant could be found. Prices vary by firm.
Who checks the trade
There is no licence for running a builders’ merchant that this research could find. Two things apply.
Timber rules. The UK timber regulations have applied in Great Britain since 1 January 2021, with the same requirements as under the earlier EU rules. Businesses that first place timber on the market must run a due diligence system. Traders, who buy and sell timber already on the market, must keep records of who they buy from and sell to. The Office for Product Safety and Standards enforces the rules for Defra 3.
Trade body. The BMF has a “Find a member” directory. The page does not say what it shows 4. Membership shows a firm has joined a trade body. It is not a licence.
Sources
- UK Business Counts (enterprises by industry), Office for National Statistics Counts are published in multiples of 5. Each figure counts enterprises live at a reference date in March. Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 14/10/2026.
- Building materials and components statistics: July 2026 GOV.UK (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (gov.uk). Page updated 05/08/2026. Checked 15/10/2026.
- Construction building materials: commentary July 2026 GOV.UK (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (gov.uk). Page updated 05/08/2026. Checked 15/10/2026.
- Regulations: timber and FLEGT licences GOV.UK (Office for Product Safety and Standards) (gov.uk). Page updated 20/08/2025. Checked 15/10/2026.
- Builders Merchants Federation Builders Merchants Federation (bmf.org.uk). Checked 15/10/2026.