As a company that has held strong family values of its own since its creation in 2002, it came as little surprise when Buildland moved to acquire fellow builders’ merchant Mahoneys, a company built on very similar lines, when it became available.
“We were already aware of the tremendous reputation Mahoneys had established in Solihull over the past 50 years,” explains Satty Jutla-Kalsi, Managing Director. “So, when the owners put the business up for sale after taking the decision to retire, we leapt at the chance. This is why we’ve taken the decision to keep the Mahoneys name, rather than rebranding it as a Buildland. We were keen to retain its reputation rather than losing it forever.”
Although Buildland is retaining the Mahoneys name, it has used the acquisition as the opportunity to make other changes, including giving the business’ site in Solihull a spruce up, as Satty outlines: “The building was certainly in need of a little bit of loving care, so after collecting the keys on the 1 May, we spent two full months revamping the store, including the car park, prior to its re-opening on Monday 29 June.”
The outside areas, the offices, the sales counter, and all the internal display areas have been refurbed, including the redevelopment of the staff canteen and bathrooms. A substantial amount of additional upstairs space is also available, providing the scope to develop or rent out to a third party.
“We’ve put a great deal of hard work into the redevelopment of the site and we’ve already seen the benefits of this investment. We had a great opening event and while it’s still relatively early days, we’re delighted with how things are going so far.”
The fact that the refurbished Mahoneys site hit the ground running was not only due to the financial commitment that Buildland has injected into the redevelopment, but also the continuity it has been able to achieve from a staffing perspective.
“We’ve been able to keep many of the existing workforce, including the manager, as well as creating brand new job roles too,” adds Satty. “Retaining this experience has been invaluable in maintaining the Mahoneys ethos that customers have loved for so long. However, we have looked to make improvements where we can too. For instance, we are providing more materials than the company did previously, while we have also implemented a new IT infrastructure. This includes the introduction of GenetiQ, a browser-based ERP platform that has helped to significantly streamline our operations.”
Buildland’s own experience as a company has certainly also played a key part in the success of the reopening of Mahoneys, having built up a strong customer base of its own over the past 25-plus years, including trade professionals and public DIYers.
The branch was opened by owners and shareholders Rube Jutla and Sharla Jutla in memory of their father, Harjinder Jutla (Harry). Working alongside their parents, their children each play an important role within the business. Satty Jutla-Kalsi oversees HR, infrastructure, website and the wider operational departments. Jay Jutla manages and oversees the transport department and head office, while Taran Jutla leads the systems and IT function, including the recent launch of new ERP solutions with GentiQ.
Together, the Jutla family continues to build the “Harry” legacy, combining family values with modern systems, technology, and operational expertise to support the continued growth of the business.
As well as bolstering the Mahoneys team, Buildland has also been strengthening its wider workforce too. “We recently recruited someone to look after our social media on a full-time basis, as we continue to be proactive in developing our online presence. We’re targeting the younger community especially and social media will be essential in achieving that, although our main target audience tends to be aged from around 30 upwards.”
In preparation for the re-opening of Mahoneys, Buildland tapped into its existing supply chain, as well as reaching out to new companies to capitalise on the latest trends and demands.
“We have increased our product range, so we can now offer low, mid, and high range options for products such as natural stone, porcelain, and concrete slabs. It is the same with our brick range. We’ve now got over 300 types of bricks at various price points to suit every budget. From our Redditch depot we can deliver across the whole of the UK, not just locally, through our distribution partners.”
In-keeping with Buildland’s ethos, where possible it has looked to make Mahoneys as eco-friendly as it can. This is being achieved by changing its systems and implementing recycling initiatives, with the next step being the introduction of solar panels. This is in addition to its modern and sustainable fleet of vehicles. While it hasn’t gone down the electric route just yet, this is an option it is keeping in mind going forward.
With Mahoneys already gearing up to be an excellent addition to the overall Buildland group, the immediate objective for the Buildland team is to make the most of this momentum in the coming months. Looking further ahead, however, a fourth branch within the group certainly cannot be ruled out at some point, as the business continues to develop its name within the marketplace.
