Fletcher Building – divestment of Tradelink to Metal Manufactures

• Tradelink (“Tradelink”) is one of Australia’s leading plumbing and bathroom supplies distributors, with a network of more than 200 branches nationally and over 150 years of operating history serving trade and retail customers
• Following a strategic review, Fletcher Building determined that Tradelink was no longer aligned with its long-term strategic priorities and elected to divest the business
• Miles was engaged by the Fletcher Building board to manage a competitive sale process for Tradelink, which was successfully executed from appointment through to completion over a 7-month period
• The transaction extends Metal Manufactures - the long-established Australian trade distribution group historically focused on electrical, data and communications products - into the adjacent plumbing and bathroom supplies category

Industry Context

The transaction reflects the ongoing portfolio simplification underway across listed building-products groups, with non-core distribution assets being divested to sharpen strategic focus and strengthen balance sheets. It also illustrates the appetite of well-capitalised privately-held trade distributors to consolidate the Australian building and construction supplies market and expand into adjacent product categories. For Metal Manufactures, the acquisition represents a step beyond its electrical heritage into plumbing, broadening its reach across the trade channel.

Further information on this transaction is available at: AFR Article