Merchants & Suppliers
64 sources in the library on merchants & suppliers. Each one says what the document covers and what it is good for. Name a source to see which document it is and where to read it. One at a time. Page 2 of 2.
- very strong RN-YQXWFN
The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)
The domestic enforcement regime sitting on top of the retained Construction Products Regulation, and the answer to who can act when a merchant sells a non-compliant product. Part 2 Chapter 1 creates the offences: regulation 4 prohibition on supply, regulation 5 breaches of duty by economic operators (manufacturers, importers and distributors), regulation 6 other breaches of the 2011 Regulation. Chapter 2 covers suspension and forfeiture: regulation 7 suspension notices, regulation 8 forfeiture in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, regulation 9 forfeiture in Scotland, regulation 10 notification duties. Chapter 3 gives regulation 11 prohibition notices, regulation 12 notices to warn and regulation 13 power to obtain information. Part 3 sets enforcement and market surveillance: regulation 14 enforcement authorities, 15 test purchases, 16 and 17 powers of search, 18 obstruction, 19 appeals against detention, 20 compensation for seizure, 21 recovery of enforcement expenses. Part 4 gives regulation 23 the due diligence defence and regulation 24 liability of persons other than the principal offender. The contents page does not state fine levels.
- very strong RN-XD6UCF
The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)
Regulation 29(1) gives the consumer the right to cancel a distance or off-premises contract at any time within the cancellation period, without giving any reason and without incurring any liability, subject to four named exceptions: regulation 34(3) on enhanced delivery the consumer chose, regulation 34(9) on diminished value where the consumer handled the goods beyond what is necessary to establish their nature, characteristics and functioning, regulation 35(5) on the cost of returning goods, and regulation 36(4) on service supply the consumer asked to begin early. Regulation 29(2) starts the cancellation period when the contract is entered into and ends it in accordance with regulation 30 or 31, which set the 14 day periods for goods and services. Regulation 29(3) also lets a consumer withdraw an offer before a contract is formed, again with no reason and no liability. This is the hinge provision for cancelling an online or doorstep materials order.
- very strong RN-S8FA8S
The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)
What the trader must pay back and by when after a distance or off-premises contract is cancelled. Regulation 34(1) requires the trader to reimburse all payments received from the consumer other than payments for delivery. Regulation 34(3) then requires the outbound delivery charge to be reimbursed too, but only up to the amount the consumer would have paid for the least expensive common and generally acceptable kind of delivery the trader offered, so a customer who paid for next-day or timed delivery gets only the standard rate back. Regulation 34(5) sets the deadline on a sales contract at 14 days after the trader receives the goods back or, if earlier, 14 days after the consumer supplies evidence of having sent them back. Regulation 34(6) sets 14 days from being informed of the decision to withdraw for other contracts. Regulation 34(9) is the trader's protection: where the value of the goods is diminished by handling beyond what is necessary to establish their nature, characteristics and functioning, the trader may recover that amount from the consumer up to the contract price.
- very strong RN-ML6MQZ
The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)
The consumer's side of a cancellation, and the provision that decides who moves and pays for a pallet of returned materials. Regulation 35(2) requires the consumer to send the goods back or hand them over to the trader, and regulation 35(4) sets the deadline at not later than 14 days after the day the consumer informs the trader of the cancellation. Regulation 35(5) puts the direct cost of returning the goods on the consumer, unless the trader has agreed to bear it or has failed to give the consumer the required pre-contract information about those costs; where that information was not given, regulation 35(6) shifts the direct cost to the trader. Regulation 35(1)(b) is the one that matters for bulky building products: on an off-premises contract, where the goods could not by their nature normally be returned by post and were delivered to the consumer's home at the time the contract was concluded, it is the trader who must collect them.
- very strong RN-0YEJ0R
The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)
The Order that governs how a merchant or retailer must display prices to consumers. Article 3 sets the scope; article 4 imposes the obligation to indicate the selling price, meaning the final price the consumer must pay; article 5 imposes the obligation to indicate the unit price, the price per standard unit of quantity, which is what forces per-metre or per-kilogram pricing on loose and bulk goods; article 6 governs the manner of indication, requiring prices to be unambiguous, easily identifiable and clearly legible. Articles 7 and 8 add presentation rules including pre-packaged solid foods, article 9 covers general price reductions, article 10 precious metals, articles 11 to 14 cover VAT changes, rounding to the nearest whole penny, thresholds and units of measurement, and article 15 enforcement by local weights and measures authorities. Schedule 2 lists goods exempt from unit pricing.
- very strong RN-2F4KSM
The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)
How far a merchant's trade terms can cut back the Sale of Goods Act implied terms when the buyer is a business rather than a consumer. s.6(1) makes liability for breach of the seller's undertakings as to title under section 12 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979, and section 8 of the Supply of Goods (Implied Terms) Act 1973 for hire purchase, incapable of being excluded or restricted by any contract term at all. s.6(1A) treats the correspondence, quality and fitness terms in sections 13 to 15 of the 1979 Act and sections 9 to 11 of the 1973 Act differently: these can be excluded or restricted, but only in so far as the term satisfies the requirement of reasonableness. That is the test a builders merchant's standard terms must pass to limit liability for defective materials supplied to a trade customer. s.6(5) confirms the section does not apply to a consumer contract, where the Consumer Rights Act 2015 governs instead.
- very strong RN-WPXLAB
The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)
The offence that governs bulk materials sold by weight, volume or number, which is the recurring dispute over bulk bags of sand, ballast and topsoil and over loose loads of aggregate. s.28(1) makes it an offence for any person who, in selling or purporting to sell any goods by weight or other measurement or by number, delivers or causes to be delivered to the buyer either a lesser quantity than that purported to be sold, or a lesser quantity than corresponds with the price charged. Both limbs matter: a bag short of its stated weight offends under (a), and a load priced as a full tonne but delivering less offends under (b). s.28(2) provides that any statement about weight is taken, unless otherwise expressed, to be a statement as to the net weight of the goods, so packaging weight cannot be counted towards a stated quantity. Enforcement is by local weights and measures authorities, that is Trading Standards. The section itself does not state the penalty, which sits elsewhere in the Act.
- strong RN-002CQ2
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: WITHDRAWN on 1 January 2005. BS 4721:1981 was published 31 July 1981 and specified pre blended ready mixed building mortars, covering composition, properties and quality requirements for cement, lime, sand and aggregate based mortar products. It was superseded by the European mortar standards, principally BS EN 998-2 for masonry mortar and BS EN 998-1 for rendering and plastering mortar, with mortar designations moving from the old roman numeral mixes (i to v) to the M classes (M2, M4, M6, M12) by compressive strength. A note that cites BS 4721 for a bagged or silo mortar, or that gives a mortar designation without saying which system it belongs to, is working from a standard withdrawn over twenty years ago. Catalogue page confirms number, title, publication date, withdrawal date and scope but does not name the replacement.
- strong RN-6UNXU6
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: WITHDRAWN on 24 November 2009. BS 5268-2:2002 was published 14 March 2002 and amended in December 2007 to align with CEN material standards, then withdrawn. It was the permissible stress code of practice for structural timber, glued laminated timber, plywood and other panel products in load bearing members, covering quality, grade stresses, modification factors, nailed, screwed, bolted and glued joints, testing of structural assemblies, and workmanship, treatment, inspection and maintenance. It was superseded by Eurocode 5, BS EN 1995-1-1, which uses limit state design and characteristic values rather than permissible stresses, so any note quoting BS 5268 joist spans or grade stresses is quoting a dead standard and should be corrected to BS EN 1995-1-1 (with the current edition BS EN 1995-1-1:2025 superseding BS EN 1995-1-1:2004+A2:2014). The catalogue page confirms number, title, publication date and the withdrawal date but does not name the superseding standard.
- strong RN-LOZAWU
BSI (British Standards Institution)
STATUS: CURRENT, and unusually for a 1984 standard the BSI catalogue page shows no withdrawal date. BS 6515:1984 was published 28 September 1984 and specifies polyethylene sheet used as a damp proof course in masonry, covering material composition, specimen preparation, permeability measurement and the test procedures for the impermeable sheet. It is the product standard behind the black polythene DPC roll sold by every builders merchant, and it sits alongside BS 8215:1991, the code of practice for design and installation of damp proof courses in masonry construction, and BS 6576 for chemical DPCs in existing walls. Note the distinction a note should keep: BS 6515 is a damp proof COURSE in a wall, not a damp proof MEMBRANE under a floor slab, which is a different product covered by BS 8102 and the gas and moisture membrane standards. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status and scope; requirements are paywalled.
- strong RN-Z6L9RY
BSI Group
What the Kitemark actually certifies, and how it differs from the marks a merchant is legally obliged to display. The Kitemark is a voluntary BSI product certification scheme involving application, testing and assessment against a specified standard, followed by repeated independent testing and ongoing surveillance by BSI engineers in BSI labs and partner facilities. That continuing re-test is the distinction from UKCA and CE marking, which are regulatory market-access marks based on a declaration of conformity or performance and, for many construction products, on manufacturer self-declaration under System 4. A Kitemark is therefore evidence of sustained third-party verification, not of legal compliance, and its absence does not make a product non-compliant. Programme areas include construction product quality and safety, electrical goods, gas appliances, fire suppression, PPE, IoT digital security, Building Information Modelling, carbon neutrality and inclusive customer service, with BS ISO 22458 and PAS 2080 named among the underlying standards.
- strong RN-QAAD3J
Chartered Trading Standards Institute (Business Companion)
The Trading Standards working guide to the Consumer Contracts Regulations on distance sales, and the clearest statement of the penalties for getting the paperwork wrong. Pre-contract information runs to 23 items lettered a to x, covering identity, price, delivery charges, cancellation rights and digital content compatibility. The 14 day cancellation period starts the day after the contract was made for services and digital content, and the day after the goods come into the consumer's physical possession for goods. If the trader fails to give the cancellation information, the period extends to 14 days from the day after the information is eventually given, subject to a longstop of 12 months from the day after the normal cancellation period would have ended, so a merchant who omits it can face a right to cancel more than a year later. Where no delivery time is agreed, delivery must be without undue delay and no later than 30 days from the day after the contract was made. Refunds are due without undue delay and within 14 days from the day after the consumer gives notice. Bespoke goods made to the customer's specification or personalised carry no cancellation right, but that exemption does not cover items made to specification simply by combining stock items.
- strong RN-LGXR1E
Chartered Trading Standards Institute (Business Companion)
The rules for a purchase made at a merchant's counter or in a showroom, and the correction to the common belief that there is always a cooling-off period. Before an on-premises contract is made the trader must give or make available: the main characteristics of the goods, services or digital content; the trader's identity, address and telephone number; the total price including all taxes; delivery charges where they apply; the arrangements for payment, delivery and performance with timeframes; the complaint handling policy; a reminder that goods must conform to the contract; details of after-sales service and guarantees; and the duration of any fixed-term contract or its termination conditions, plus functionality and compatibility for digital content. The Regulations do not prescribe how the information is given, only that the consumer has it. Cancellation rights do not apply to on-premises contracts at all: they attach only to off-premises and distance contracts, so a buyer who simply changes their mind about goods bought in person has no statutory right to return them. Failure to give the required information lets the consumer claim breach of contract, and incorrect information also breaches the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
- strong RN-PJ4DVC
Chartered Trading Standards Institute (Business Companion)
The trader-facing companion to the CTSI goods guide, useful for the practical rules on delivery, risk and the cost of returning faulty goods. The four statutory standards: satisfactory quality judged against price, description and any manufacturer's claims and covering fitness, appearance, freedom from defects, safety and durability; fitness for a particular purpose the consumer made known; conformity with description or sample; and correct installation where installation forms part of the contract. On delivery and risk, where the trader arranges delivery the goods remain at the trader's risk until delivery, so loss or damage in transit is the trader's. The short-term right to reject runs 30 days, starting the day after ownership transfers in a shop, the day after delivery online, and the day after possession on hire or hire purchase; a request for repair or replacement pauses the clock, leaving the consumer the remainder or 7 days, whichever is longer. Remedies run repair or replacement first, then price reduction or rejection. A refund is due within 14 days of the trader agreeing the consumer is entitled to it, and the trader bears the cost of returning faulty goods except where the consumer returns them to the place of purchase.
- strong RN-VMRXW0
Chartered Trading Standards Institute (Business Companion)
The Trading Standards service's own working summary of the Consumer Rights Act as applied to goods, useful because it states the timing rules the Act itself leaves implicit. Goods must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, as described and correctly installed, and digital content supplied with goods must meet the same standards. The short-term right to reject runs for 30 days from delivery or taking possession, shorter for perishables; if the consumer asks for a repair or replacement the 30 day clock pauses and on return of the goods restarts for seven days or the remainder of the original period, whichever is longer. Remedies run in three tiers: repair or replacement at no cost within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience; then price reduction or the final right to reject; then damages for consequential loss including property damage, personal injury and the cost of buying elsewhere. A defect appearing within six months of delivery is presumed to have existed at sale unless the trader proves otherwise; after six months the consumer must prove it. A claim cannot normally be brought more than six years after the breach of contract.
- strong RN-OJPOLD
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
The RICS page that hosts the three New Rules of Measurement documents as free PDFs plus supporting Excel templates, so a reviewer can check a cost figure against the professional rules without a subscription. It carries RICS NRM 1, October 2021, 4.61 MB PDF, published 28 October 2021, and RICS NRM 2, October 2021, 2.60 MB PDF, alongside NRM 3. The page states that using NRM 1 ensures clients are advised of and have confidence in the quality and consistency of the cost information provided to them, and that supporting Excel templates are available for preparing estimates and cost plans in accordance with NRM 1 and NRM 2. It carries an explicit disclaimer that RICS makes no representation or warranty about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability of the templates, that users must check embedded logic and formulae themselves, and that RICS accepts no responsibility for their misuse. Use this page as the stable landing point and the individual PDFs for the actual rules.
- good RN-JZPQ25
CFA
The Contract Flooring Association describes itself as the leading independent trade association and professional voice of the UK contract flooring industry, with members including some of the UK's largest flooring contractors, manufacturers and distributors. It runs a Find a Member directory and advises specifying a CFA member to minimise costly flooring failures. It publishes downloads and free guides for members, architects, specifiers and end-user clients, a member area of documents and templates, and the Floorscape online news platform, alongside training work through the Future Fitters programme and a Flooring Apprentice of the Year competition. Reports that 82% of CFA members surveyed said membership represents good value for money. Use this to identify the trade body behind flooring installation guidance and to point readers at an accredited installer.
- good RN-XQSXUV
EDA
The EDA, founded in 1914, is the trade association for electrical wholesale distributors in the UK. It describes wholesale distributors as the essential link between manufacturers of electrotechnical products and the electricians and electrical contractors who install them. UK wholesalers join as Members, with Affiliated Membership open to manufacturers, solution providers and service providers. The EDA runs the EDATA Data Pool for product data, and The EDA Academy, a library of online courses for member businesses including fully funded Workplace Essentials e-courses on fire safety, manual handling, health and safety and cyber security awareness, plus monthly 30 Minute Masterclass live webinars. Use this to establish what an electrical wholesaler is and which body represents the sector, for a note explaining how a homeowner can buy from one.
- good RN-R82GA8
NFRC
NFRC describes itself as the UK's largest roofing trade association, with over 1,350 members, and offers membership packages to contractors, manufacturers, merchants and service providers in the roofing industry. It runs four searchable directories from one place: find a roofer for approved contractor members, find materials through NFRC Supplier Members, find services through Service Provider Members, and an information library. NFRC produces technical publications across roofing disciplines, some free to members, some sold through its shop and some freely available to the wider industry and public. The wider NFRC Group also operates the NFRC Competent Person Scheme, which lets registered roofers self-certify that roof refurbishment work meets current building regulations, and a Roofing Careers Service. Use this to identify which roofing merchants and contractors hold a checkable trade body membership.
- good RN-QO0UL8
Timber Development UK
Timber Development UK is the trade body formed for the UK timber supply chain, organised by member category: importers, merchants, manufacturers, architects, engineers, designers, installers, contractors and carpenters, each with its own resource set. It states that importer members are committed to trading only in sustainable timber and that merchant members are the local business connection for delivery. It publishes a free technical library described as over 600 technical resources, timber case studies and dedicated timber and fire safety guidance, plus a webinar and events programme. Use this to establish which body a timber merchant belongs to and where the neutral technical specification guidance for timber sits, rather than relying on a supplier's own product literature.
- supplier figure RN-DJOH4R
City Plumbing (Highbourne Group)
City Plumbing's published delivery terms as at 7 September 2026. Standard delivery is free next working day on orders over 75 pounds on selected lines subject to stock, and 9 pounds excluding VAT on orders under 75 pounds, with the caveat that a product may carry an additional charge where it has to be sourced from a supplier. Deliveries run Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays, typically between 07:30 and 17:00, and next day delivery requires an order placed by 5:00pm Monday to Friday subject to stock. Payment at checkout is by credit or debit card or by City Plumbing Trade Account. Orders are tracked through a Track My Order portal using order number and email, with a dispatch confirmation email link, live chat and a support line on 0330 678 0267. Large items are offloaded by a specialist fleet. This is a concrete published example of how merchant delivery charging, cut-off times and offload arrangements are structured.
- supplier figure RN-2JBBPY
Jewson (STARK Building Materials UK Limited)
Jewson's published online terms of sale, trading as STARK Building Materials UK Limited. Sets out that the online terms incorporate the STARK Building Materials UK Limited Conditions of Sale and take precedence where the two conflict. States that all orders are subject to acceptance, that acceptance is given by email or on delivery of the goods, that Jewson may decline any order for any reason without liability, and that no contract comes into effect until the order is accepted. The numbered sections cover goods description and price, placing an order, how to pay, order acceptance, delivery, the customer's rights, raising an issue, cancellation rights, Click and Collect, and other important terms, alongside separate Terms of Use, Content Policy, Cookies Policy and Privacy Statement. This is the primary source for how a large merchant's contract actually forms, which matters when a quoted price changes before acceptance.
- supplier figure RN-FBM36G
Screwfix
Screwfix's published returns policy: a 30-day money back guarantee with free returns, under which non-faulty items must be unused, in saleable condition and in their original packaging with all component parts and any promotional items or free gifts, returned to the nearest Screwfix store, or collected free by arrangement on 03330 112 112 where returning to store is not possible. Some items are excluded from the policy or unsuitable to return to store, with the exclusions set out in the Terms and Conditions and in the catalogue on the Screwfix app. For a fault arising more than 30 days after purchase, Screwfix states it may offer repair, replacement, a price reduction or a refund, and cites the Consumer Rights Act 2015 requirement that goods be as described, fit for purpose and of satisfactory quality during the expected life of the product. Manufacturer helplines and warranties are the first route for repairs, with a dedicated free power tool repair service through stores and customer services. Screwfix confirms statutory rights are unaffected.
- supplier figure RN-JWGKLU
Toolstation
Toolstation's published returns policy: a 30-day money back guarantee on most products, allowing a faulty or unwanted unused item to be exchanged or fully refunded within 30 days of receipt. Unwanted items must be returned unused, unmarked, in original packaging and complete with all included accessories, and proof of purchase may be required. Faulty items may be refunded, replaced or repaired where available, for manufacturer faults only, and postage costs are refunded only where the item is faulty, damaged or sent in error. Items delivered direct from a supplier cannot be returned to a Toolstation store. Excluded items listed include boilers and boiler parts, used macerators, toilets, dirty water pumps, bespoke items that are cut, mixed, personalised or made specifically to the customer's requirements unless faulty, and petrol products, which must be drained and aired for 48 hours before return. Statutory rights are stated to be unaffected. The page also lists free delivery over 40 pounds and click and collect.