With 11 brands and a 175-year legacy, Robert Price is supporting its customers into the future
For more than 175 years, Robert Price has been at the heart of the Welsh construction industry, supporting professionals, tradespeople and homeowners with trusted products, expert advice, and outstanding service. Established in 1847, the business has grown from its roots as a local builders’ merchant into the largest independent builders’ merchant group in South Wales and Herefordshire, with over 30 locations serving communities across the region.
“We’re a family-owned builders’ merchants that was established in 1847 in Abergavenny,” begins David Pattison, Sales Director at Robert Price. “We started out as stonemasons making gravestones, then we began to sell those heavy materials to local builders, supplying products such as cements and aggregates. Over time, we’ve developed our offering to both traditional and specialist builders’ products. We acquired a business with its own timber mill and treatment tank, which was our first move into these specialist offerings. We’ve now got several specialisms across the group encompassing kitchen and bathroom, plumbing and heating, civils, insulation, roofing, sustainability, agricultural, and contract management. Today, we operate a 36-branch network with more than 400 staff across South Wales.”
Integrated solutions
As a family-run business, Robert Price combines the values of a local merchant with the scale and expertise needed to support projects of every size. At the heart of the group is Robert Price Builders’ Merchants, with branches stretching across South Wales from Swansea to Chepstow, supplying building materials, expert advice and dependable service to trade professionals and DIY customers alike. Supporting this network are specialist divisions including Robert Price Timber in Cardiff, Robert Price Roofing, Robert Price Insulation, Robert Price Civils, serving the civil engineering and commercial sectors, and Robert Price Agricultural in Abergavenny. Alongside these divisions, the group’s sister brands, Gower Timber, PlumbBob Plumbing & Heating Supplies, The Sustainable Energy Centre, Tudors Building Supplies, and Tudors KBB, further strengthen its ability to deliver specialist expertise and tailored solutions across multiple sectors.
This vast scope of capability is one of the key strategic advantages that enable Robert Price to deliver integrated solutions across increasingly complex projects. By bringing together specialist expertise, product knowledge and operational support under one umbrella, the business can create added value for customers while strengthening resilience throughout the supply chain.
“Diversification has been hugely significant in being able to supply the right solutions for both our customers and their supply chains,” David elaborates. “We can add value by providing synergy to a project, wherein we can do work for the main contractor and supply through one of our specialist divisions to nominated subcontractors. We’ve also got the advantage of being able to provide backup support onsite if required; we’ve got those specialisms in-house, as well as access to manufacturing partners who can also support us. This is critical, particularly when we’re introducing new elements of supply, in being a trusted partner to our customers.”
Customer-focused approach
Across its breadth of specialist divisions, Robert Price operates more than 30 branches across Wales and Hereford, combining local presence with a consistent, customer-focused approach to ensure that clients receive expert support and tailored solutions wherever they are based.
“We’ve established an account management-based scheme where we assign customers to specialist account managers to really engage with them and understand who they are, what they do, who they work for, and so forth. From there, we can then present the best solutions to support them in delivering their outcomes for their clients,” he emphasizes.
The company’s commitment to customer engagement extends beyond the group’s own operations and informs its wider approach to partnerships. By working closely with trusted specialists where additional expertise is required, Robert Price can further enhance its service offering, ensuring customers have access to the right products and support at every stage of a project. This is particularly true of its most recent partnership with Miles Hire.
“Hire was one specialist element that we didn’t have within our portfolio, so we felt like we needed to partner with a specialist who can add those services to fulfil the needs of our customers. Our embedded partnership with Miles Hire means that they can utilise our facilities, meaning that we can both save on costs and it’s easier to refer our customers directly to them when needed. That collaboration is where the value really sits,” David explains. “As well, I think that because we’re both independent, family-run businesses, we’ve got very similar values in terms of our strategies and long-term goals. The partnership is going well so far and we hope to grow both of our businesses alongside one another.”
Prioritising people
While strategic partnerships play an important role in expanding the group’s capabilities, Robert Price’s long-term success comes down to its most important asset of all: its people. Having won the BMF Training Company of the Year Award in 2025, the company is actively ensuring that it has the skills, knowledge, and adaptability needed to respond to an evolving market while maintaining the high standards of service its customers expect.
“Our challenge, as we continue to grow, is to remain agile and able to react to changing market conditions, whether that be supply shortages, changes in legislation, or new product opportunities,” David affirms. “When it comes to people development, we focus on the three core values of quality, confidence, and fun; if we can improve the quality of our staff through training, then that will improve their confidence, and they’ll hopefully have some fun at the same time. It’s all about enhancing our service to our customers, but has ultimately led to career progressions, improved performance, and self-recognition.”
As Robert Price approaches its 180th year in business, its focus remains firmly on the continued investment in its branch network, strategic acquisitions, strong supplier partnerships, and the development of its people. Guided by the same family values that have underpinned its success since 1847, the group is well-positioned to continue building lasting relationships, delivering specialist expertise, and helping shape the future of construction across Wales and beyond.
“The last few months have been difficult with the disruption of the market due to the Middle East conflict. There’s been a lack of confidence in the market, as well as a lot of volatility in terms of price and material availability,” David concludes. “In the short term, we’re trying to navigate and smooth some of the edges to ensure that we’ve got continuity of supply and that we’re able to support our customers through any challenges they’re going through. We’ll need to ensure that our customer engagement is as strong as ever to keep them informed of changes in the market and in commercial pricing to ensure that all projects are sustainable.”