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Builders' merchant

Builders' merchants sell building and DIY products and materials.

Annual Salary

£16,000 to £30,000

Working hours

39 to 41 a week

You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; on shifts

1.9%
Future employment

There will be 1.9% fewer Builders' merchant jobs in 2029.
In your local area

What's it all about?

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

On a typical day you could:

  • give product information to customers
  • load and unload deliveries by hand or with a forklift truck
  • process orders and handle payments
  • move goods to storage areas
  • put orders together and organise deliveries
  • advise customers about which materials to use
  • complete stock control paperwork or update computerised stock lists

Working environment

You may need to wear protective clothing.

You could work at a builder's yard or at a store.

Your working environment may be physically demanding and outdoors in all weathers.

Entry requirements

You can get into this job through:

  • an apprenticeship
  • applying directly
Apprenticeship

You could get into this job through a trade supplier intermediate apprenticeship.

This typically takes 12 months to complete as a mix of learning in the workplace and off-the-job study.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
For more information
  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide
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.

Requirements and restrictions

You'll need to:

  • Some jobs with a builders' merchant may involve driving trucks up to 7.5 tonnes. For these you'll need to have a category C1 driving licence.
  • have forklift truck driver training for some jobs

More information

Further information

You can find out more about working as a builders' merchant from Building Materials Careers.

Employment by region

Career path and progression

With experience, you could progress to supervisor or manager.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • the ability to work well with others
  • 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
  • the ability to organise your time and workload
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
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