Ferguson’s dual-trade efforts hit 650 locations

Ferguson has been merging its HVAC and plumbing operations — traditionally housed in separate buildings — into combined facilities to serve dual-trade contractors. 

What’s happening: Of the ~760 “counter locations” the company plans to convert, about 650 conversions are now complete, Brittany Merritt, a senior director at Ferguson’s residential trade business, told Homepros on a recent call. 

• Merritt noted that contractors can take advantage of Ferguson’s pro pickup services — with parts that can be ready within an hour of ordering — and lockers available at certain locations. 
• “Our strategic footprint puts 95% of our customers within 60 miles of a Ferguson location and allows us to deliver same-day or next-day,” CEO Kevin Murphy said on a recent earnings call. 

What they’re saying: “One of the things that’s been big for us this year is training up our associates the right way,” Merritt said, referring to an initiative in which customer-facing associates receive specialized sales training to ensure they’re well-versed in both HVAC and plumbing. 

Go deeper: Given the soft housing market, which has impacted new construction, Ferguson has upped its focus on service work.

• “We hear it with customers all the time,” Merritt said. “It used to be they’d go on a call for HVAC or a water heater, and it was, ‘Let’s go ahead and put in a heat pump water heater. Let’s put in tankless.’ It was an upgrade opportunity.” 
• Now, “We’ve moved from a replace to a repair landscape,” she added. 

As the HVAC and plumbing industries continue consolidating, Ferguson’s clientele has shifted from mom-and-pop contractors to more private equity firms with large national accounts. 

• “It’s certainly tough as the landscape continues to change to make sure that we are keeping the financial leaders of these organizations happy,” Merritt said. 
• Yes, but: “I do think we’re set up really well to continue to help them scale, just because of the way that we’ve scaled over the last, you know, 15 years,” she added. 

State of play: Ferguson established a national sales center in 2012 and began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021. Revenue has grown from $3 billion in 1999 to $31 billion in 2025. 

Of note: March is both Women in the Trades and Women’s History Month. “I hope that young women and girls aren’t scared to advance their way through the trades,” said Merritt, who has had a long career at Ferguson, beginning in its management trainee program in 2010. 

• “This is such a great place for women, and there is a seat at the table for all of us.”