Parker Building Supplies received the Builders Merchant Award at the recent Federation of Master Builders (FMB) Master Builder Awards, with EH Smith 'Highly Commended' for the same Award.

The FMB Awards event featured a Builders Merchant Award for the first time, championing builders' merchants that have most successfully developed and improved their business since January 2016. The FMB held competitions across each region of England, as well as Scotland and Northern Ireland, with the winners from each region being put forward for consideration to win the national award. The winners were then announced at a ceremony at the InterContinental London Park Lane Hotel, hosted by DIY SOS: The Big Build presenter, Nick Knowles.

The regional finalists were:

  • Northern Ireland: Haldane Fisher
  • Midland: EH Smith
  • North: Milford Building Supplies
  • Scotland: Beatsons Building Supplies
  • South: Parker Building Supplies
  • Wales: LBS Builders Merchants.

The Builders Merchant Award was sponsored by the Builders Merchants Federation.

When announcing the finalists and ultimate winners, Nick praised all the merchants for their hard work, and highlighted the altruism of those merchants who continued to support DIY SOS: The Big Build with building materials, despite never receiving any direct coverage or exposure on the programme itself, due to BBC rules.

He said: "Quality building and craftmanship is very dear to me. Lots of people fall through the net and DIY SOS: The Big Build is there to help them out, but we rely on the building industry and can only do the work if people turn up."