Selco growth means a jobs boost for city

The new Selco Builders Warehouse will create more than 50 jobs in the Wolverhampton area.

It is the 43rd Selco branch in the UK and will be sited on the Stafford Road, near the Foxes Lane and Five Ways island.

It is due to open its doors to trade customers in September and recruitment is already under way, with Selco saying that nearly all the staff are expected to recruited from the Wolverhampton area, "providing a significant economic boost to the community".

There are a wide variety of jobs available, with many opportunities to progress both careers and skills within the company, says the firm.

Selco Wolverhampton will further expand the company's presence in the West Midlands, joining Dudley, Tyburn, Stirchley, Perry Barr, Tyseley and Coventry with more nationwide branches due to open throughout 2016.

Selco can trace its roots back more than a century, to the Sewell & Co family timber business founded in Birmingham in 1895.

It became a full-scale builders' merchants in 1938, adopting the Selco name in 1982. In 1998 it became part of the £2 billion Grafton DIY group, which also includes Plumbase. Since then Selco has seen a dramatic escalation in its expansion, with branches across Wales and the UK, including sites in London.

Chris Cunliffe, chief executive of Selco Builders Warehouse, said: "Opening in Wolverhampton will be of great benefit to the local economy and gives people the chance to join a company with fantastic opportunities for career progression.

"Selco's recruitment policy has always been to employ those from the branch's local community and that will continue at Wolverhampton.

"The recruitment process is currently underway with a host of different job openings available. We have had a lot of interest in our positions, though it is still possible to apply through our website jobs.selcobw.com.

"Our aim is to give great career opportunities to people, while allowing them to extend their skillset at Selco.

"The branch will also provide a boost to tradesman in and around the Wolverhampton area, as they will be able to enjoy the benefits Selco provides – unrivalled availability, with the widest range of products in stock, as well as excellent customer service and straight trade pricing."

Mr Cunliffe added: "Selco Builders Warehouse is enjoying fantastic success, which is particularly pleasing given the tough economic conditions that have faced the building industry in recent times. This branch continues the nationwide growth of Selco, with our ambitious strategies allowing us to create hundreds of jobs, while also benefiting the local community."

Paul Birtles, branch manager at Selco Wolverhampton, said: "The preparation stages are always an exciting period, as we continue to look forward to the opening of our latest branch. We will be recruiting a very strong, community-based team and we look forward to welcoming new and existing Selco customers into our newest branch."

Selco Wolverhampton will have extensive kitchen and bathroom displays and a Click + Collect.

The group, which operates in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands and Belgium, was helped by the broadly favourable economic environment in the UK.

Its UK merchanting business grew its market positon both organically and through acquisitions in the period. Building materials supplier Selco continued to make good progress increasing revenue across the established branch network and in the five branches that were opened during 2015 which traded in line with expectations.