Careers

Working for Thompsons Building Centres

Welcome and thank you for taking the time to look at the careers page of our website, we hope you find it of interest.

Our premier aim is to provide the best service, coupled with an extensive choice of competitively priced products to ensure customers regard us as their most important supplier. We work on the principle that if we have the right people, with a great attitude, carrying out the right activities, with the appropriate skills, we will get the right result – and the growth of the company is testament to the fact that it is working so far!

We pride ourselves on delivering unprecedented levels of service by employing and retaining the very best staff and underpinning this with excellent relationships with customers and suppliers. It is our belief that it is people who make the difference and can play a huge part in the continued growth of this company.

While we expect a lot from our staff in terms of effort, commitment and loyalty in return we will give you constant opportunities for training, development, growth and financial reward.

Whatever your role, we want you to feel a sense of achievement, to have both the ability and freedom to do things differently to get real job satisfaction, something as an independent, we are confident is achievable. With real commitment from every member of the Thompsons team we will continually improve on our performance.

Job opportunities

Thompsons offers a variety of opportunities and not only in merchanting. Our associated companies TAPS (plumbing supplies) and Waste Centre (skip hire and recycling centre) offer alternatives to the builders merchant side of the business. You may want a role you are experienced in, or maybe your ambition is to develop your career in a new role or even become a Branch Director. Our expansion programme means there will always be opportunities to further your career with Thompsons and we have a policy of promoting from within wherever possible.

We are committed to the training and development of all our employees whether to improve upon or to develop your knowledge and skills, or to prepare you for increased responsibility. This training can take place in a number of formats, including structured classroom based training, distance learning or on the job training.

Roles within Thompsons

Branch based roles

Yard Assistant
Driver - Transit, 7½ tonne vehicles and Class 2 vehicles (with hi-ab)
Administration
Yard Foreman
Showroom Salesperson
Assistant Manager
Branch Director/Manager
Transport Router

Modern Apprenticeships

This is an excellent opportunity for young people to learn whilst they earn and gain a nationally recognised qualification. The Modern Apprenticeship route may be right for you if:

You are aged between 18 and 23 years old.
You want to gain a nationally recognised qualification.
You have reasonable GCSE grades in maths, English and IT.
You have a 'can do' attitude.
You are confident and ambitious.
You want to develop a career in merchanting.

Want to know more about what builder's merchants, TAPS or the Waste Centre do to help you decide if it's right for you? Then have a look around the other pages of this website or why not pop into a branch near you and see for yourself.

NVQ's are available in Customer Services, Warehousing and Distribution and Business Administration. For further details look at the link to the Builders Merchants Federation website (www.bmf.org.uk) and click on 'merchant apprenticeships' under the training heading.

Central Support Team

This team is based at our Head office in Sunderland and employs staff in the following functions: Finance, Credit Control, Purchase Ledger, Sales Ledger, Graphics, Information Technology, Human Resources, Marketing, External sales and Reception/Administration.

How to apply

To apply for any position with Thompsons please either complete an online application form or email your cv to: hr@athompson.co.uk. Alternatively you can apply by post to: HR Department, Thompsons Building Centre, Thompson House, Commercial Road, Hendon, Sunderland SR2 8QR. Whilst we may not always have opportunities at the time you apply we will keep your details on file and will always acknowledge receipt of your application.

Respectfully, agency contacts not accepted.

Branch Directors

Being a Branch Director with Thompsons is an excellent opportunity to effectively run your own business under the brand ofThompsons Building Centres.

You are likely to be managing a competitor branch and will be able to demonstrate a successful track record of managing a profitable business unit. You will also have a strong customer network and will ideally be 'born and bred' in your local area. Please contact the HR Department for further details.

Pension and employee benefits

In addition to your salary other benefits include a pension scheme, bonus scheme relevant to your particular area of work, uniform (where appropriate), staff discount and increasing holidays with length of service.

Our responsibilities as an employer

Health & Safety

We take seriously our duty of care to provide a safe working environment for all our employees and a safe place for all customers and visitors. In support of this we provide health and safety training to all new employees. We have our own fully qualified trainers to deleiver fork truck training and Moving and Handling Training. All our staff are provided with the necessary personal protective equipment which it is mandatory to wear at all times when in restricted areas and strive to prevent or minimise the possibility of any risks. These and a number of others measures ensure that we meet all legislative requirements.

Equal Opportunities

Thompsons is committed to the principles of Equal Opportunities in recruitment, employment and training and development. We seek to employ a workforce which reflects the diverse community at large because we value the individual contribution of people irrespective of sex, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, race, colour, religion or belief, ethnic or national origin. Please click on the following link to download a copy of our full Equal Opportunities Policy.