Heiton Buckley, one of Ireland's most experienced builder's merchants opened a new branch in Ringsend on the 2nd of April 2007 to accommodate the builders of the Dublin 4 community, Originally they had a branch in South lotts road that a lot of people would remember, myself included, that particular branch moved over to East Wall, but the general feeling was that the presence of a Heitons was greatly missed on the Southside so the branch was opened on the old ESB training site on the South Bank Road.

Business was brisk when it first opened but with the recession things have slowed down a bit but according to manager John O’Reilly, they have been ticking along with the standard day to day building supplies like Cement, timber and plaster board. The downturn has seen people looking to improve their own places so floors, doors and bathroom fittings are selling well. John says if they don't have it in stock they can arrange to have it sent down to the site within a couple of hours or the next day or the next day at the latest.

All of the staff are very helpful and are working with the company for between 5 and 10 years, and most of them have worked in the building trade beforehand, which is a great help when you are not too sure on what exactly you need when you go into the store. Stewart Lang, the Assistant Manager says they still pick up a lot of tips themselves from builders who are eager to explain the best ways to do certain jobs when they come into the store.

The members of staff are John O Rielly (Manager), Stewart Lang (Assistant Manager), Eric Darling on the counter, David Farrell and Mark Quinn in the stores and on the fork lifts.

Heiton Buckleys themselves are and amalgamation of Heitons which would have been more known for the Steel end of things, and F&T Buckleys. The chain itself is owned by the Grafton group who also own Chadwick's, Atlantic Home Care, Woodies, Sam Hire and Davies Plumbing.

There are 27 Heiton Buckley branches around Ireland and 6 in Dublin providing a full service to the building and home improvement market. They also run regular specials every couple of months so it may be a good idea to keep and eye on their website to find out what specials they are running at the moment. Hand tools are proving to be a very popular gift for Christmas and they are doing a lot of good deals on gardening equipment at present, but mainly it is the floors and doors that are doing well on the run up to Christmas as people do some last minute improvements for Christmas.

The staff are also available for tips on Sustainable Energy Grants, Solid Wood Flooring, Door Styles, Bathrooms, Velux Windows, Quality Timber Decking, Hardwood Decking, General Building Materials and Roofing Materials.

Tel: 01 2383800 - Opening hours Mon - Thurs 8.00am - 5.00pm and Fri 8.00am - 4.00pm