When it first launched in 2016, Plumbmaster proudly proclaimed to be “flexible, competitive and locally owned”. Now, six years later, that motto remains at the heart of the company’s success as it continues its growth and expansion.
It is no exaggeration to state that the Newry-based business has transformed the plumbers’ merchant sector in Northern Ireland since it arrived on the scene, spinning out from Haldane Fisher to form its own specialist division and become a hugely successful entity in its own right.
“We began with a vision of bringing focus to the plumbing and heating section already established within Haldane Fisher, and our high expectations were exceeded as the company quickly grew,” said Plumbmaster Director, Eamonn McCarthy.
Plumbmaster has 11 branches across Northern Ireland and two on the Isle of Man, all with their own dedicated trade counter, staff and delivery fleet, including the recent addition of a new 10-tonne lorry and two new vans. This is backed up by social media channels and a dedicated website, offering a complete buy online service with account management facilities.
All the former Haldane Fisher plumbing departments have been rebranded as Plumbmaster, with the majority of branches having their own dedicated entrances to avoid customers having to queue in the builders’ merchant area. In 2018, the company’s first standalone branch was opened at Duncrue Industrial Estate.
With Plumbmaster now well-established in NI and having enjoyed six years of superb growth and success, Eamonn said the firm is now ready to take the next step.
He added: “Haldane Fisher has invested heavily in Plumbmaster, which shows it has tremendous confidence in this specialist division. It is great that we have the connection with such a progressive company, but we are still independent and locally owned. This has been crucial to our success, and we have been making a lot of enhancements to ensure Plumbmaster continues to thrive in the coming years.”
The company has launched its own dedicated renewables division based in Newry, headed up by Wayne Gribben. With his years of experience as an underfloor heating and renewables consultant for Plumbmaster, Wayne is ideally placed to lead this new hub, which will serve all of Northern Ireland.
The firm has also appointed two new business development managers in a bid to help grow existing business, as well as targeting potential new clients. William Fleming, a branch manager for Plumbmaster, will be the sales representative on the ground in the Coleraine and Ballymena areas.
Meanwhile, Clodagh Mullan has been brought in from outside the industry to cover the Greater Newry area. “With her background in retail, Clodagh will bring a real sales focus to the job,” Eamonn added. “Both William and Clodagh will help strengthen our external sales in their respective areas, and they will be out on the road soon meeting customers.”
The company also has plans to create an internal sales hub in Belfast, headed up by a new member of staff, Greg Holmes. “This will free up our experienced sales rep, Dean Youle to get out and about more in the Greater Belfast area,” Eamonn explained.
Elsewhere, the company has been going through a digital transformation, including moving to EPOD (Electronic Proof of Delivery) and DMS (Delivery Management System) to help reduce paper usage, introducing new CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems to improve customer service, and continuing to develop its very successful e-commerce section, which now offers a one hour click and collect service.
Its website has proven to be a real success story and the group recently won the prestigious Online and Digital Strategy of the Year Award at Builders Merchants’ Awards in London. “The world is changing rapidly and this industry is no different – we are endeavouring to keep pace, and even stay ahead of the game wherever we can,” Eamonn told Plumbing and Heating Magazine.
“We are always looking to provide the best overall experience for our customers. This is something that we want to build on and we will continue to engage with customers and develop our services.”
To contact one of Plumbmaster’s business development managers in your area, call:
Greater Newry:
Clodagh Mullan
T: +44 (0)7799 711504
Coleraine/Ballymena:
William Fleming
T: +44 (0)7880 504579
Greater Belfast:
Dean Youle
T: +44 (0)7436 272156
For enquiries regarding renewables, contact:
Wayne Gribben
Underfloor Heating and Renewables Consultant:
T: +44 (0)7810 570564
