Telfords Portlaoise Ltd has been recognised as the overall winner of the Octabuild Award for Excellence at the 2024 all-island Octabuild Builders Merchant Excellence Awards. The company also secured the Leinster Regional Award.

The prestigious awards ceremony took place on Thursday, 17 October, at the Round Room in the Mansion House, Dublin. Over 250 guests, including shortlisted merchants and representatives from the builders merchant trade across Ireland, attended the gala event. The ceremony was hosted by the eight Octabuild members: Dulux, Etex, Glennon Brothers, Grant Engineering, Gyproc, Irish Cement, Kingspan Insulation, and Wavin.

Telfords Portlaoise's exceptional performance and commitment to excellence earned them the top honor, solidifying their position as a leading player in the builders merchant industry.

Guest of honour at the awards was Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, Micheál Martin, TD. Congratulating all the winners the Tánaiste said: "I would like to congratulate all the finalists and winners at this year's awards, particularly Telfords Portlaoise Ltd who won the overall Octabuild Award for Excellence 2024. These awards recognise the vital role of the builders merchants industry to the wider construction sector. I want to commend the organisers and Octabuild Chairperson, Declan Conlon for such a great event."

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This year builders merchants competed for five Individual Category Awards, four Regional Awards and a Rising Star Award, which acknowledged up-and-coming talent in the industry.

Octabuild Chairperson, Declan Conlon said: "It's important for Octabuild that the Awards highlight the excellence of Irish builders merchants to the building and construction industry amidst its ever-changing landscape. Congratulations to all finalists and winners from all over the country who represented absolute excellence in the industry."

Commenting on the quality of the entries, the judges said: "It is evident that the industry is evolving at a rapid pace with merchants across the country leading the way in the continuously changing landscape. The competition is fierce as merchants have embraced the opportunities in staff training, stock portfolio, premises, customer service, promotion, ecommerce and sustainability to develop their businesses."

In total eleven awards were presented at the awards ceremony as well as the Octabuild Lifetime achievement Award, which was presented to Ian Haldane, CEO of leading independent supplier to the construction industry, Haldane Fisher.

The full list of award winners is:

• Connacht/Donegal/Monaghan/Cavan Regional Award: Joyce's Hardware & Home, Galway

• Leinster: Telfords Postlaoise Ltd, Laois

• Munster Regional Award: Cork Builders Providers, Togher, Cork

• Northern Ireland Regional Award: JP Corry Springfield Road, Antrim

• Excellence in Business Management Award: Cork Builders Providers, Togher, Cork

• Excellence in Customer Service Award: Rooneys Home & Hardware, Meath

• Excellence in Sales & Marketing Award: Wallace's Homevalue, Wexford

• Excellence in Sustainable Business Award: Chadwicks Robinhood Road, Dublin

• Excellence in Community Outreach: Inishowen Co-Op, Donegal

• Rising Star Award: Luke Martin – JP Corry Dromore, Down