Buildland Limited – Two decades of progression

As a family-run, independent building and landscaping merchant, Buildland Limited has remained committed to strong traditional values since it was created in 2002. This ethos has not only enabled the Midlands-based company to achieve 20 years of growth, but also continues to pave the way for its ongoing development, as Satty Jutla-Kalsi, Managing Director, recently outlined to Construction Industry News.

“We are very proud of how the business has progressed over the past 20 years and the level of success we’ve achieved,” explains Satty, who is the third generation of the family to run the company. “As we’ve grown, we’ve ensured that the customer remains our priority, so it’s always been about building lasting relationships with them. This is the same approach that we take with our suppliers and our employees. As a result, we have excellent links with our supply chain, while a significant number of our 60-strong workforce have been with us since Day One, which really underlines their loyalty. This has come about thanks to our commitment to them with regards to training and career development.”

Having such a dedicated workforce has allowed Buildland to expand its activities to become the business it is today. It now has two depots, one at its head office at a four-acre site in Redditch and another at the site of a former historic pub, the Prince William Henry on Foleshill Road in Coventry. From these depots it provides an extensive selection of high quality products covering areas such as general building, bathrooms, plumbing, gardening, landscaping and timber; all at competitive prices to meet the budgets of a wide range of customers, both trade and public.

Unsurprisingly given the many years of operation it has under its belt, Buildland has continually moved with the times in order to improve its offering for its customer base. For example, it has just recently completely refurbished the sales areas of both its depots, with its Redditch site being home to a bathroom showroom and an impressive new brick display. As part of this development, it has introduced a new online brick-matching service for customers that are unable to make it into the store. It is also constantly looking to add new products to its range, such as Duraposts, composite decking and artificial grass, as customers look for ever more durable products with long lasting properties.

With the Covid-19 lockdown resulting in a spike in home improvements, Buildland saw a growing demand for its products, adding another challenge to the others it faced during the pandemic. “It was very difficult at first and really quite stressful,” explains Satty. “Thankfully we received excellent support from the likes of the Builders’ Merchants Federation and Southalls, both of which provided a wealth of invaluable guidance on how to operate our branches safely. As well as implementing all their advice, we also invested in all the relevant PPE and other protective products that were required, such as sanitiser and screens.

“We have also received excellent support from the NBG buying group, which we joined in the Spring of 2021. They proved essential in helping us source products at a time when there was a major shortage of items across the industry. As well as helping with the product availability issue, they also provided a significant amount of assistance in other areas too.” 

While it is obvious that Buildland is very forward-thinking, an approach that has served it extremely well over the years as it has grown and developed, the fact that 2022 marks the company’s 20th anniversary gives it the opportunity to briefly pause and take stock of how far it has come in the past two decades. “We’re planning to host an event at our head office site to celebrate with our customers and mark what is a very significant landmark. We will also be holding various charity events as this is something that we’re very proactive on too. We recently held an event for MacMillan Cancer that was very successful and we’re keen to keep raising money for good causes whenever we can.”

Further evidence that Buildland always has one eye on the future is demonstrated by its approach to the environment. It recently updated all its fleet of 15 vehicles, which includes trucks ranging from 7.5 tonnes up to 44 tonnes, to become more efficient. Future additions to the fleet will also be more environmentally friendly, ensuring that the company is able to continue providing a high quality service to its customers but without compromising on its sustainable ethos. It is also implementing new technology across the organisation as it moves to become a paperless operation.

“Regardless of what we’ve achieved already, we’re always looking to improve further, whether it’s by becoming more sustainable, by increasing the product range, or by adding new services for our customer base,” says Satty. “At the same time, we’re continually working to ensure that our employees reach their potential by providing all the necessary training they require. Many members of our staff that have seen strong progression in their careers with us.

“Another increasingly important area for us is social media and we have accumulated a strong following on platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. Along with our website, we’re really keen to promote ourselves in anyway we can in order to build ever closer relationships with our customers. To coincide with our 20th anniversary year, we are also conducting a rebrand process that will incorporate a new sleeker and modern logo.”

Buildland can be justifiably proud of the progress it has made since its creation in 2002. It’s also clear that the business has no intention of taking its foot off the accelerator anytime soon, which can only mean good news for its customer base.

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