Over 1,000 jobs are to be created after a leading builders merchant unveiled expansion plans.

Selco Builders Warehouse is set to extend its branch network from its current number of 73 to 100 by the end of 2026, increasing its selling space by more than one million square feet.

Part of the Grafton Group, Selco has undergone a major expansion over the last decade by more than doubling in size and now plans to further accelerate that growth.

Having recently opened branches in Liverpool, Orpington, Canning Town, Rochester and Exeter, Selco will also have a presence in Cheltenham and Peterborough over the coming months.

A wide range of locations have also been identified for branches to launch over the next four years, including opening the company's first branch in Scotland.

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Chief Executive Howard Luft said: "This is an exciting time for all connected with Selco and the latest plans for expansion will have economic benefits right across the UK.

"We currently have a very strong branch presence across London, Manchester and Birmingham and, as well as further bolstering those heartlands and other areas of the country where we have branches, we will also be taking the unique Selco offering into new towns and cities.

"Along with our ever-growing digital presence, we want to provide a flexible and multi-channel offering to tradespeople who are able to enjoy the benefits Selco provides - unrivalled availability, with the widest range of products in stock, as well as excellent customer service and trade pricing."

Each new branch will lead to at least 30 in-store vacancies while additional business-wide functions will also be created at the company’s Support Centre in Birmingham.

Mr Luft added: "Our recruitment policy has always been to employ people from the branch's local community and that will continue to be our strategy.

"Working for Selco represents a genuine opportunity for an individual to enhance their career, whether that be through our Rising Stars apprenticeship programme or through our Driver Academy scheme in which we offer colleagues the chance to retrain as a HGV driver.

"At every opportunity, we look to promote from within and the colleagues working for Selco now will be the managers of the future for many of our new branches."