William Hibbs (Bill to the community) first set up W G Hibbs (as it was known) in 1947 at the far back of the NMSB site at Caird Avenue, New Milton. They made rockface concrete blocks by hand, sold a few slabs, operated a very small concrete plant, and used contract haulage for small loads. Steve Lidbury, a worker in W G Hibbs, then bought the business in 1979 and along with his sister Jo Kitcher, they grew the business over the next 30 years into a small local builders’ hub.

New Milton Sand and Ballast acquired the business in 2009, and moved the operations to the front of the main site at New Milton. Over the past three years, the product offering has expanded and more and more customers use the branch as it provides the ease of picking up building supplies at the same time as their concrete and aggregate needs.

Builders Merchants Renovation

We are very excited to be able to announce that we have just started a major renovation of our branch at New Milton. This project will see the existing structure be replaced with a new 2-story building with a much larger yard. We will also be opening a second branch in Wallisdown, close to our Elliott Road depot, in January 2022.

Matt Lock, Commercial Director for NMSB says:

“We have a loyal customer base and cannot wait to be able to provide them with a better facility at New Milton. It will be quite a transformation when it is finished next year with improved access and parking, more products stocked and a large yard with landscaping display. Furthermore, the new branch we are launching in January 2022 in the Bournemouth/Poole area is also a fantastic facility and we have a host of activities planned around the opening which should be great for our customers.”

Matt continued, “In our 85th year of trading we are extremely proud of the growth this area of our business has had in a difficult time, and all feel very honoured to be helping the construction community continue to build across Hampshire and Dorset.”

Jobs at our Builders Merchants

Looking for a new position? Discover the roles we have available at both our New Milton branch and our upcoming Bournemouth branch by clicking here.