OUR HISTORY

McGovern has been established in the North East since 1949. With 73 years of experience under our belts, we’ve earned a reputation for being the best of the best when it comes to the services we provide, from brick matching to supplying building materials of a sustainable and affordable nature.

But how did we get here? And where do we hope to go from here? Let’s take a look at the timeline of McGovern’s history and explore what the future holds, starting where it all begin all the way back in the first half of the 20th century.

1949 - 1959

LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS

1949 was the end of an era. Clothes rationing had ended in Great Britain and it was also the year that William and Connie McGovern founded a small brick delivery service in Felling, Tyne & Wear. Connie was the business-mind of McGovern & Co and husband Bill delivered bricks in the one and only wagon.

Things moved quickly in that first year and soon enough, the first team member was brought on board - Cecil Higgins. This led to further expansion well into the 1950s with the purchase of the first diesel engine truck of the business, the classic Commer TS3.

1959 - 1979

BUILDING AND PROGRESSING

Over the next 20 years, McGovern's ever-expanding team developed a reputation within the North East as industry experts and the go-to place for bricks and building supplies.

With a business culture of progression and outstanding service provided to clients across the North of England, from architects to builders, merchants, homeowners and more, McGovern became a household name.

1979 - 1999

FURTHER EXPANSION

For the remaining years of the 20th century, McGovern continued to grow and innovate as we moved forward as a business.

With more staff members on the books and a boost to our delivery service and vehicles, our yard became fuller as the years progressed, with more bricks in our stock than any other business in the area.

1999 - 2019

EMBRACING THE MILLENNIUM

The turn of the century (and the Millenium) saw even further expansion and innovation at McGovern, as our use of technology allowed us to stay ahead of the curve in the industry by streamlining our operations.

Adding brick ordering to our website as well as through our yard meant more choice for our customers, who could now benefit from the same fantastic service they've become used to, with even more efficiency.

2020

AN EXCITING AQUISITION

In 2020, McGovern was acquired by Alpaca, an investment firm and innovative growth partnership based in Leeds, North Yorkshire.

With change comes innovation, and while we still stand by our values of providing an insurmountable brick-matching service and supplying the best bricks from our enormous inventory, we can now develop further and build towards the future.

2021

AN EVEN MORE EXCITING FUTURE

From our head office in Felling, Gateshead, our on-site yard now has more than 2 million bricks for customers to choose from, and a team of expert staff with all the specialist industry knowledge you could imagine.

We’ve continued to build on the foundations laid back in the humble beginnings of the company and our commitment to customers remains the same with expert advice, immediate delivery, and a focus on affordability and sustainability.

The acquisition has led to many great things, and the future is bright for McGovern. With a focus on improving the construction economy in the North East, we are a hub of sustainable building materials and the largest brick merchant in the area.

We continue to use the expertise we’ve accrued over a vast history of trading in the industry, alongside a dedication to sourcing the best new products, embracing technology as we move forward, and much, much more.

The shackles are off as we head into the future and we are extremely excited to innovate and drive change, consistently supplying sustainable and affordable building materials to our North East customer base. We might not have all the answers, but we want McGovern to be the centre of the debate about sustainable building supplies.