I'm in North Dorset Vivienz.
At an early stage of works I accompanied my groundworker to Sydenhams and Bradfords, places he favoured and had a rapport with. His introducing me made a significant difference I believe and i've had great service and good prices from them both, compared to other merchants where i've just made solo contact as a self builder. My Blandford branches are constantly accessing Verwood's stock for me. Even if I went into Verwood for something i've already had before from Blandford, they'd check to ensure I didnt pay more than I previously had. I think it all comes down to what 'discount tier' the merchant group chooses to put you on, and for me that was significantly affected by how I was introduced versus my cold calling for 'best possible prices'.