Naylor was delighted to sponsor the Builders Merchants Awards’ ‘Civils Merchant of the Year’ Award for the second year running in 2025 and to present the award to the winners, EH Smith Civils Solutions.  Here, we interview Steve Ramsay, the company’s National Sales Manager, about the business and its plans for the future.

Steve, please tell us a little about EH Smith Civils Solutions?

EH Smith Civils Solutions is a division of EH Smith Builders Merchants. Founded in Birmingham in 1922 and offering specialist knowledge and support to the construction industry, EH Smith Builders Merchants has become one of the largest independent merchants in the UK employing 400 people and operating 11 branches and three specialist offices as well as a head office.    

EH Smith Civils Solutions is experiencing strong growth with sales increasing by nearly 50% in the past two years alone in what has been a generally challenging market.  We’ve also been able to grow our team consistently as we continue to build on this success.

You beat off some stiff competition to win this award. What do you do differently to other civils merchants and why is this so important to your customers?

We pride ourselves on the provision of a quality service and our staff are the key to our success.  Over 50% of the team have worked for us for ten years or more and we believe that consistency goes a long way to offering unrivalled customer service. When customers contact us, they often deal with someone they’ve dealt with previously and that gives them confidence in the service they will receive.  

The business’ family ownership and independence plus the wealth of experience our staff possess also mean we can adapt quickly to our customers’ requirements and offer solutions which it would be difficult for competitors to provide.  We take particular pride in being more than just a merchant that offers technical advice but one that also has the flexibility to fulfil any customer requirement, however strange, with a passion for sourcing services and materials that may seem out of the scope of normal supply.

How is EH Smith Civils Solutions planning to build upon its success?

We’re really proud of our achievements.  We are looking to showcase our success to other areas of the EH Smith business and to explore how we can collaborate to improve our offer to the customer.

In the last few years, we’ve also worked hard to secure involvement on supply chain agreements for Tier 1 contractors and we recognise their need for a strong independent merchant that can not only provide a first class service but which also has a strong affinity to social value and the local community. We’re now taking additional steps to ensure we meet this requirement.

On what will you be focussing most during the next 12 months?

We’ve recently opened a Design Centre in Digbeth in Birmingham where we can showcase everything we offer from the ground up.  It’s an awe-inspiring space where our customers can show their clients everything from water attenuation and green roof solutions to the largest display of bricks and architectural masonry in Europe.

We’re also looking to grow our operation in Hemel Hempstead and we now have a 18 acre site located in North London.  The North London site has a fleet of vehicles which enables us to offer a total supply solution into London and the South which can rival that of any other merchant.

What are the ambitions for EH Smith Civils Solutions in the next three to five years?

Our vision was to create a team of the most knowledgeable staff in the industry and we’re passionate about developing our employees.  We have enjoyed great success through our apprenticeship programme and we are looking to recruit, grow and nurture more talent over the next few years in order to help us establish ourselves as the number one independent civils merchant offering in the market.

Thanks for your time today Steve.  We have just one very important question for anyone who may wish to buy you a celebratory drink following your award win.  Red or white?

Actually, I’d much prefer a Guinness!

For more information about EH Smith Civils Solutions, visit https://www.ehsmith.co.uk/building-materials/civils-drainage