Selling loos may not be glamorous, but it's an essential service, says plumber's merchant, Williams & Co.

The trade-only supplier of plumbing and heating materials began in 1972 and now has 41 branches, predominantly across the south of England, with larger regional bases in Manchester, Milton Keynes and Bristol.

The business hopes to be Britain's leading independent merchant serving self-employed outfits that employ up to five staff. Its pledge to its workforce is to put people before profits and to treat staff members fairly, pay them well and provide support when needed — as well as all the training and resources they need to do a fantastic job.

It set up the Williams Academy to train staff in subjects such as health and safety essentials, recruitment, selection and retention, sales development and mental health awareness. The academy's scope has been extended to include a range of management and leadership courses.

Improving its managers' skills means teams are offered great leadership. The effect has been a rise in internal promotions. The company believes that continuing to improve its staff development offering will help it to hang on to workers.

In May 2021 the company was awarded the Customer Service of the Year accolade for the second consecutive year, and the NMBS Award of Excellence by a panel of industry experts at the Builder’s Merchants awards.