Leeds law firm Gordons hired by builders' merchant MKM

The Leeds-headquartered firm is advising the fast-growing national builders’ merchant on acquisitions as it expands towards 150 branches.

Leeds law firm Gordons has been hired by MKM Building Supplies, the £1.1bn builders’ merchant, to support its expansion across the UK. The Leeds-headquartered firm is providing a range of legal services to MKM, most recently advising it on buying the business and assets of a builders’ merchant site in New Milton, Hampshire, from New Milton Sand & Ballast. That deal took MKM’s branch network to 149.

Why This Matters For Leeds

Professional services are a cornerstone of the Leeds economy, and where the city’s firms win work is a decent gauge of their health. Gordons advising a £1.1bn national merchant on its buy-and-build strategy shows Leeds legal talent competing for the sort of work that might easily drift to London.

Why MKM turned to Leeds law firm Gordons

Gordons put together a multi-disciplinary team from its corporate, commercial property and employment specialisms to advise on the New Milton acquisition, which also brought HVAC specialist distributor Oceanair into the MKM fold. MKM is in the middle of a sustained growth push: for the year to 30 September 2025 it lifted revenue 12% to £1.1bn and grew its market share to 14.8%, and in 2026 it has opened eight more branches, from Arbroath in north-east Scotland to Swindon in Wiltshire. MKM chief executive Kate Tinsley said the merchant chose the firm for its ‘commercial and proactive approach’, describing it as ‘straightforward, commercial and easy to work with’ and ‘a trusted partner who can support us every step of the way’ as the business grows.

“MKM is a business that knows what it wants to achieve and values practical advice and long-term relationships.”

— Paul Ayre, Senior Partner, Gordons

A Leeds firm with a national client book

The instruction adds to a client roster at the Leeds law firm Gordons that spans some sizeable national names – the retailer AO, Iceland Foods and Morrisons, drinks group Molson Coors and parcel firm Evri among them. The firm, which employs 184 people from its head office on Whitehall road in Leeds, has built a practice advising acquisitive, growth-focused businesses. Senior partner Paul Ayre said MKM ‘knows what it wants to achieve and values practical advice and long-term relationships’, adding that the two made ‘a good partnership’. For Leeds, it is another example of a home-grown professional-services firm winning and keeping the kind of national work that keeps high-value advisory jobs in the city.