Independent merchants and showrooms continue to play an important role in the day-to-day working lives of UK tradespeople.
For The IPG, supporting these businesses means championing the things they already do well: strong local relationships, product knowledge, personal service and convenience.
With locations across the UK, The IPG brings independent plumbers merchants and bathroom showrooms together as a collective network, helping them compete while retaining the local identity that makes independent businesses so valuable to the trade.
Here are three reasons to choose a merchant or showroom within The IPG network.
1. Local service, backed by a wider network
For installers, a good merchant is often much more than somewhere to pick up materials.
It is the place where someone knows the products you use, understands the job you are working on and can help solve a problem before it costs you time on site.
TradeBrain research shows that 18.3% of UK tradespeople named local independent merchants as their main source of supply, placing independents second overall.¹ When asked which company best understands their business needs, independent merchants again ranked second.²
That same expertise matters to homeowners. By encouraging more homeowners to visit a great local showroom, The IPG can help connect them with knowledgeable people, quality products and the kind of personal advice that can turn an idea into the right choice for their home while helping generate valuable opportunities for the local trade.
Merchants and showrooms within The IPG network combine that local knowledge and personal service with the benefits of being part of something bigger.
They remain independent businesses, while gaining access to the collective buying strength, supplier relationships, marketing support and wider opportunities provided through The IPG.
2. Built around what matters to the trade
Price will always matter, but it is far from the only factor influencing where tradespeople choose to buy.
Quality narrowly ranked ahead of price as the strongest purchasing factor, while availability and service or guarantee were also important considerations.³
With 63.7% of tradespeople expecting rising material and tool costs to affect them over the next year, getting genuine value from every purchase is becoming increasingly important.⁴
For The IPG, that means helping independent merchants and showrooms deliver more for their customers – from access to leading brands and competitive offers to the service and expertise tradespeople rely on.
Nearly half of respondents said they typically purchase products and materials between 6am and 9am, highlighting just how important the traditional trade counter remains to the working day.⁵
3. Shopping with The IPG can now be even more rewarding
The IPG App for Trades has been designed to give tradespeople another reason to visit participating merchants and showrooms within The IPG network.
Users can collect entries in-store and allocate them to live prize draws, while also accessing supplier promotions, store offers and a store finder.
Since launch, customers have already won prizes including a £3,000 New York holiday for two, a £1,500 Home Cinema Bundle, an Ooni Pizza Oven Bundle and a range of supplier-backed rewards.
For October, installers can enter to win a Center Parcs family break for four, £200 cash, or choose between a PlayStation 5 Slim Digital Edition and an Xbox Series X Digital Edition.
The prizes create excitement, but the wider goal is simple: to reward tradespeople for choosing independent merchants and showrooms within The IPG network.
The IPG brings those businesses together, while allowing each one to retain the local knowledge, personality and relationships that make independent merchants and showrooms different.
For installers, that means trusted local service, backed by the strength of The IPG network – with a few extra rewards along the way.
References
1. TradeBrain Pulse Report Q2 2026, conducted by On The Tools for The IPG – main source of supply.
2. TradeBrain Pulse Report Q2 2026 – merchant or supplier best understanding tradespeople’s business needs.
3. TradeBrain Pulse Report Q2 2026 – factors influencing purchasing decisions.
4. TradeBrain Pulse Report Q2 2026 – expected impact of rising material and tool costs.
5. TradeBrain Pulse Report Q2 2026 – typical purchasing time.