Heat Merchants announces €4m expansion, 75 jobs & CO2 pledge

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Heat Merchants Castlebar will open by the end of September and a new Tubs & Tiles showroom in Cork will open towards the end of the year in the first phase of the company’s new development plan. This investment will increase the Heat Merchant Group’s branch network to 56 throughout the country and will increase its total workforce to 358.

Heat Merchants Group is also increasing its central distribution and business support centre in Athlone with the addition of an extra 20,000 square feet of warehousing. The company is also commencing a recruitment drive immediately to attract new colleagues into its expanded branch network and fill a range of other roles across its business.

Announcing its investment and expansion plans, Heat Merchants Group managing director, Alan Hogan said: “The last five years have seen the addition of 82 new employees, the opening of several new branches and the extensive renovation and rebranding of our existing branch infrastructure. Today’s announcement marks an exciting next phase in our growth strategy which has been a key driver for the business over the last 5 years.”

He added: “In responding to the changes in building regulations and legislation within the industry, and the huge advancements in technology available to the heating industry, our management team recognised the need to innovate in extending the range of support services available to customers at Heat Merchants. This has resulted in the provision of a design service and advice to customers through the unique Heat Merchants ‘design hub’ which has a technical team of engineers and designers bringing the latest innovations in heating and construction to our customers, providing an array of vital services including technical design, commissioning, certification, installer training and after sales support.”

Meanwhile, Heat Merchants has also pledged to reduce its scope one and scope two carbon emissions — i.e. direct emissions and missions from purchased energy — by 50% by 2030 and has signed the Low Carbon Pledge to that effect. Established by the group Business in the Community, the Low Carbon Pledge is the first dedicated pledge generated by Irish business to set industry standards on sustainability and reduce carbon usage