Travis Perkins was founded as the Benjamin Ingram company in 1797. It has grown through acquisitions, including of the Wickes Home Improvement Group in 2005 and Toolstation in 2012, and now caters to the needs of small DIY jobs through brands including Wickes, Toolstation and Tile Giant and for tradesman through City Plumbing, Keyline and BSS.
Neither of these business lines is easy, exposed as they are to the housing market and changes in consumer confidence. Even the market for repairing, maintaining and improving properties among those homeowners who decide not to sell — often cited as being insulated from fluctuations in the property world — is unpredictable and fiercely competitive.
A capital markets day late last year marked probably the biggest transformational moment in