Ubm.

[Star Attraction]

Who can remember UBM? I think they were a chain of builders' merchants.

The letters UBM were always in capitals, so it must have been an abbreviation for something? Does anyone know what?

I can remember going past a few of their shops in the 1970s and 1980s, but never went in one. The shop sign above the entrance had a red background and the letters UBM in white. In all cases I remember, there was an additional name in black capital letters (same typeface as UBM) after the initials UBM.

Here are two examples I remember seeing:

UBM MAC (East Reach, Taunton)
UBM Dibben (Dorchester and Weymouth)

What was the significance of the MAC, Dibben or whatever else bit that came after the initials UBM?

Does anyone remember their TV advert in the early 80s; it showed someone turning over mortar on a board with a trowel, extending a ladder, cutting a ceramic tile, rolling paint etc?

[FLYING SAUCER]

Re: Ubm.

I had forgotten these until you mentioned it!

The TV Advert had drums in it, and especially when they said "U B M!" and had men singing and repeating UBM ?

[Richard1978]

Re: Ubm.

I've never heard of them, but a long gone builder's merchants Roscoe's based in Cheadle Heath has been immortalised by giving it's name to the roundabout at junction 2 of the M60.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...ted_Kingdom:_R

[Retrogames]

Re: Ubm.

I thought this was the anagram thread....

[Heather74]

Re: Ubm.

I thought this was the anagram thread....

LOL, thats made me smile

[Star Attraction]

Re: Ubm.

I've just done a Google search for "UBM Dibben" and found this old photo of UBM Dibben in Eastleigh.

[kdc123clark]

Re: Ubm.

UBM stood for united builders mercahants they owned ubm scaffolding -a scaffolding company and ubm fleet -a hire car and leasing company and ubm cadel- specialist plumbing suppliers - they were the biggest group of builders mercahants in the UK the dibben is a southampton family who owned a chain of merchants in south - started up in WW2 when mr dibben went around southampton wih a wheel brrow collecting bricks and building stuff from bombed out buildings- head office in bursldon road southampton - 8 branches in southampton area alone - mac will be a family name of a group bought up by UBM

they kept the dibben bit for years from 70s to 90s as every one knew them as dibbens

in he 80s they were bought by norcros plc who owned h and r johnson tiles and triton showers in 90s they were sold off to jewsons

[tamz]

Re: Ubm.


Found this today.
Brought back some memories from the 80's Working as a plumber, UBM would supply the copper but everything else came from Cadels.
I think they were bought over by BSS as all the UBM and Cadel branches turned into PTS (The plumbing side of BSS) I may be wrong tho as it was a good while ago.

[George 1978]

Re: Ubm.

Were they regional or just before my time? I don't remember UBM existing in Nottingham.

[Wavy Davy]

I remember UBM quite well. Our family's shop is located right next to a builders' merchant that these days is Travis Perkins. I definitely remember growing up in the 70s/80s, when was a UBM, it later became Sharpe&Fisher before finally turning into TP. And I remember the TV ad with the U-B-M chant.