Naylor was delighted to sponsor the ‘Civils Merchant of the Year’ Award at the Builders Merchants Awards. Here, we interview Kevin Hancock, founder and Managing Director of this year’s Civils Merchant of the Year, Civils Store.

1. Kevin, please tell us a little about Civils Store

Civils Store is an expert supplier of groundworks and drainage materials. It operates seven regional depots located Somerset, Cornwall, Cumbria, Gloucestershire, Sussex, Kent and Yorkshire, and employs more than 70 people. As a team we have been very successful and in the last four years alone have increased our turnover from £13.5 million £31 million.

2. What makes Civils Store different to other merchants?

There are two things which really make us stand out from other merchants. Firstly, we’re a dedicated civils merchant and not a heavyside merchant who does a bit of civils activity. That means we really understand our customer’s needs and are able to recommend the best solutions for civils projects.

Secondly our business model is very different from that used by other merchants. Each depot is a profit centre in its own right and 20% of each depot’s profits are given to its employees on a rolling three month basis. Unlike some businesses, we also share our monthly management accounts with everyone. This means that our employees share in our success and benefit from working for an open, transparent company.

3. You established Civils Store in 2013. What do you know now that you wish you’d known then?

How much I would need to learn and how rounded I’d need to be in terms of my skill set. The level of responsibility that you need to take is very high but it’s also very rewarding to see people within it develop professionally and personally.

4. Of what are you most proud as the founder and Managing Director of Civils Store?

The culture we have and how we treat people. Overall we have an really positive culture. People feel secure and they feel they can challenge different viewpoints expressed by anyone at any level in the business. I’m also very proud of how people at Civils Store respect and support each other, their customers and their suppliers.

5. What’s your greatest achievement?

The support I’ve been able to give to my family and the opportunities which Civils Store is able to offer to people. It’s incredibly rewarding to see people progress and develop.

6. What advice would you give to someone setting up a business?

I think the most important thing is to be clear about who you are and what you are. It’s also really important to stay in touch with your market, with the grass roots, so you can understand and adapt to your customers’ needs.

7. What plans do you have for Civils Store during the next three years?

At Civils Store our philosophy is better before bigger! We’re aiming to grow our existing depots, continue to be civils product specialists and organically grow our depot network at a steady rate with a view to reaching a £50m turnover in the next three years.

8. Thanks for your time today Kevin. We have just one very important question for anyone who works in the construction sector. Brown sauce or red?

Definitely brown!

Kevin Hancock is the founder and Managing Director of Civils Store which was named ‘Civils Merchant of the Year’ at November’s Builders Merchants Awards. Passionate about people in business and customer service, Kevin has worked in construction industry manufacturing and civils material distribution businesses throughout his career with expertise in marketing, sales and business development. He held senior roles in a company that achieved ten-year turnover growth of £147 - £330m; studied strategic human resource management, marketing in a complex world, creativity innovation and change as part of his MBA, and has served as a member of the CBI Regional Council (South West) and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.