As the only independent plumbing and heating merchant within a 30 to 40 mile radius, Powys Plumbing & Heating Supplies is putting local tradespeople and homeowners at the heart of its growing family business.
Mark and Samantha Shelley opened the doors to Powys Plumbing & Heating Supplies in Machynlleth, mid Wales, on 6 July 2026, combining decades of industry and sales experience with a shared ambition to provide the kind of local merchant service they knew the area needed.
The business name itself reflects that connection. Based in the county of Powys, Mark and Samantha wanted a name that was proudly rooted in the area and reflected its Welsh identity. With many Welsh speaking people living locally, it was important that the business felt part of the community and the rural Welsh way of life.
The idea for the merchant came from first-hand experience. Having run a plumbing and heating business themselves, Mark and Samantha knew how difficult it could be to source essential materials locally. With no independent merchant nearby, they recognised an opportunity to give local installers, trade professionals and DIY customers somewhere closer to home to find the products, knowledge and support they need.
Supporting the local trade
For Mark and Samantha, supporting local is about much more than simply having a trade counter nearby. It means understanding their customers, listening to what they need and being on hand with practical advice. Customers will often arrive having researched a product or solution and the team can use their experience to help them take the next step.
A year in the making, Powys Plumbing & Heating Supplies is very much a family affair. Samantha manages the day-today running of the merchant alongside daughter Ruby, who is studying business management at university and is putting her studies into practice by supporting the company’s marketing and social media.
Mark, meanwhile, is affectionately described as a “walking encyclopaedia”, thanks to more than 20 years of plumbing and heating industry experience and the extensive product knowledge customers can tap into at the trade counter.
Setting up the business has also been a learning experience. Mark and Samantha admit they hadn’t anticipated quite how much would be involved, or the sheer range of products and processes needed to run a merchant. One thing they have quickly learned is never to underestimate a plumber’s needs.
"JOINING THE IPG HAS GIVEN POWYS PLUMBING & HEATING SUPPLIES ACCESS TO THE WIDER BUYING POWER AND SUPPORT OF A WIDER GROUP WHILE RETAINING INDEPENDENCE AND THE PERSONAL APPROACH THAT MATTERS.
Week by week, they are building their understanding of what customers want and adapting their stock accordingly, helping ensure local installers can get what they need without travelling further afield.
That commitment to service is already making an impression. When a customer at a local campsite urgently needed help with a toilet installation, Mark spent around 45 minutes on FaceTime talking them through the process, despite it being his day off. The customer later described it as the best service they had ever received from a merchant.
The business stocks plumbing and heating materials, boiler spares, consumables and bathrooms, alongside underfloor heating solutions and designs. WhatsApp ordering is also being introduced to make it easier for busy tradespeople to order what they need.
Joining The IPG has given Powys Plumbing & Heating Supplies access to the buying power and support of a wider group while allowing Mark and Samantha to retain the independence and personal approach that matter so much to them.
And while it is still early days, success isn’t only measured in major milestones. For the family, every new customer through the door, every problem they help solve and every piece of positive feedback is something to appreciate.
Their message to tradespeople who haven’t yet paid them a visit sums up their approach perfectly: “We’re small but mighty.”