Huws Gray lays the foundations for centralised planning

Huws Gray, the UK’s largest independent builders’ merchant, has selected Slimstock to underpin a major supply chain transformation. By centralising planning across its UK branch network, the building materials distributor will improve availability, strengthen customer service and create a more balanced inventory position.

As a one-stop shop for trade professionals, self-builders and DIY customers, Huws Gray supplies thousands of product lines across building materials, timber, tools, roofing, electrics and plumbing. Following continued organic growth and recent acquisitions, the business combines national scale with local branch expertise to keep building projects on track.

Adrian Wallington, Chief Commercial Officer at Huws Gray, explains: “We are committed to delivering efficiency, innovation and value for customers. As we strengthen our presence throughout the UK, our supply chain plays a pivotal role in delivering dependable service, ensuring the right breadth and depth of stock is available where and when customers need it.”

As the business expands, planning decisions have increasingly needed to balance local responsiveness with group-wide coordination. Centralising planning will allow the business to standardise forecasting and replenishment decisions across the network, to better meet demand while creating a scalable operating model to support continued growth.

As part of the transformation, Huws Gray will adopt Slimstock’s AI-powered supply chain planning platform to automate ordering across the branch network, enabling the business to:

• Free up branch teams to focus on customers by simplifying ordering
• Enable faster, more responsive replenishment through improved forecast accuracy
• Strengthen supplier collaboration through enhanced network visibility

A key requirement for Huws Gray was the ability to enhance planning capabilities without disrupting existing systems. Slimstock’s platform will integrate seamlessly with the Group’s existing Border Merchant Systems ERP, providing a dedicated planning layer to create visibility and control while maintaining operational stability.

Highlighting Slimstock’s industry experience in merchanting businesses, Adrian Wallington adds: “Slimstock offers an intuitive, purpose-built planning platform with proven success in similar merchanting businesses. We are confident that Slimstock is the right partner to help us deliver measurable benefits across our branch network, suppliers, and customers.”

Richard Evans, Chief Commercial Officer at Slimstock, comments: “As two proudly independent companies, Slimstock and Huws Gray share a strong cultural alignment and focus on delivering value to customers. Together, we’re building a supply chain that will accelerate Huws Gray’s expansion.”