Travis Perkins : Major local employer Travis Perkins welcomes Northampton MP Andrew Lewer to head offices

Travis Perkins plc, the UK's largest product supplier to the building and home improvement market, welcomed the local Member of Parliament for Northampton South, Andrew Lewer MP, to their head offices on Friday 6 October.

Mr Lewer was met by Alan Williams, Travis Perkins' Chief Financial Officer, as well as other board members and took the opportunity to discuss Travis Perkins' plans for continued investment in the local area, as well as the job opportunities and apprenticeships provided at Travis Perkins HQ.

The visit comes soon after Theresa May's announcement that a further £2bn of funding will be provided for councils to build more affordable housing across the UK. In this context, Travis Perkins' services and builder's merchants are set to become even more crucial to the construction industry.

Travis Perkins has a strong heritage which dates back 200 years and has been based in Northampton since 1904, expanding to include leading national brands such as Wickes, Tool Station and Tile Giant. Alongside the 2000 UK branches across the Group, the Head Office employs 3,500 staff making Travis Perkins one of the largest private sector employers in the area.

Travis Perkins is also heavily involved in the local community, and continues to sponsor the Northampton Saints, maintaining the oldest corporate sponsorship in premier sport. The partnership has been running since 2001, and the contract was recently renewed until 2021. The company also recently announced its sponsorship of the Northampton T20:ProAm cricket event, which gives amateurs the chance to play alongside seasoned professionals, and has recently worked with a local Northampton school to teach code to students and to educate school leavers about careers in IT.

Commenting, Andrew Lewer, MP for Northampton South said:

'It was a pleasure to meet Travis Perkins staff and get an insight into the work they do at their offices here in Northampton.

'While the company provides a number of essential services to businesses and consumers across the UK to help solve the housing crisis, it also has a significant and positive impact on the local community through providing employment opportunities and sponsorship of local sports clubs.'

Commenting, Alan Williams, Chief Financial Officer at Travis Perkins said:

'It was fantastic to show Andrew around our headquarters on Friday, and reaffirm our commitment to providing employment opportunities for the local community, especially those who have previously served in the armed forces.

'Travis Perkins are very proud of their history and heritage in the local area, which spans more than a century.'

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Notes to Editors

1. For further information, please contact Will O'Leary on 02073401150 or by will@gkstrategy.com
2. Travis Perkin plc's businesses work with over two million customers, providing over 450,000 different products.
3. Travis Perkins plc operates 20+ businesses across the UK and owns 19 product brands within these businesses.
4. Travis Perkins plc's businesses and brands operate from 2,000 branches and sites across the UK and Ireland, including from 180 sites in London.
5. Travis Perkins plc employs over 28,000 people.
6. Travis Perkins plc has approximately 160,000 live customer accounts across our businesses and makes a customer delivery every 8 seconds.