Date: 20 January 2026
Author: Jess Clark
I look back and think, how the hell did our national competitors allow us to do it?
In a business world where ambition often meets reality with a hard edge, one company has managed to turn financial dreams into real-life fairy tales. Supporting people who are financially ambitious - adding what founder David Kilburn fondly calls “a sprinkling of fairy dust” - MKM has grown into a £1.1 billion turnover enterprise.
In the past decade alone, the builders’ merchant has made twelve UK branch managers millionaires. It’s a record that still sparks excitement for 80-year-old Kilburn, who insists that giving others the chance to transform their lives is what gives him purpose. However, times are tough in the construction sector, “With the current economic climate, we are in a cycle of change that’s lasting far longer than the 2008 banking crisis,” he says. “It’s affecting the entire construction sector - what’s coming next, we don’t know but MKM is in a good position. While change is uncomfortable, t’s also full of potential.”
The MKM story didn’t begin with corporate strategy or high finance, but with personal upheaval. It was 1995, David was 50 and newly divorced, when his boss gave him the news: redundancy. “I was told the office was closing, and I wasn’t wanted on the new team,” he recalls. “To make things worse, I couldn’t work for a competitor for four months - and my redundancy money wouldn’t arrive until after that.” This taught David a good lesson in how not to treat people.
It was a difficult blow, but out of fear came clarity. “I still had all my contacts in the industry,” he says. Alongside Peter and Janet Murray and his partner Linda, who wrote the business plan, the small team took a leap of faith and opened MKM’s first branch in October 1995. “From that perspective - £1.1 billion turnover, 136 branches, 15% market share - it’s just a fairy story.”
“I look back and think, how the hell did our national competitors allow us to do it?” “They had such a grip on the builders’ merchant market - how did they even let us onto the playing field?” But somehow, MKM did more than join the game. It changed it. “The momentum started immediately and now we’ve got 136 branches across the UK, with a plan is to reach 250.”
The “fairy dust” moment came early on. MKM flipped the traditional branch management model on its head. “When we opened the first branch, I said to the manager, ‘Why don’t you take a 25% stake? We’ll fund the premises - you run it like your own business.’”
It turned out to be transformative. By sharing ownership, MKM gave managers a personal stake in success. The approach drew in talented people and created opportunities that genuinely changed lives.
Although David no longer runs the day-to-day business, he remains closely involved, especially in nurturing new leaders. “I still do all the inductions for new branch directors,” he says. “We talk about the history of MKM, what makes us different, and how they can get the most out of it. Before each new branch opens, I meet everyone - drivers, interns, all of them - because they are the heartbeat of our company.”
At 80, David’s energy seems unshakable. He’s a board member of Hull Kingston Rovers and President of Hull City Football Club. “You’ve got to stay mentally alert,” he insists. “Once you slow down, you fade away. I still feel young - I want to wear skinny jeans. I’m not ready for slippers.”
Optimism remains his default setting. “Every year, I imagine the next will be bigger and better.”
His drive to help others goes beyond MKM. Together with fellow business leaders, he co-founded For Entrepreneurs Only (FEO) - to support local entrepreneurs. “It started with dinner at Cerutti in Hull,” he recalls. “We each invited someone we thought could add value and quickly realised we could create something powerful for the city.”
Early members included Tim Rix, Andrew Horncastle, David Hall, Gerard Toplass, and Assem Allam. From one part-time admin role, the organisation grew steadily, and with the arrival of CEO Jan Brumby, the organisation started to really build and evolve.
“Jan came from Young Enterprise and instantly understood what we were about. She just loves what she does."
Now with 220 members and nine key partners, FEO has become a cornerstone of Hull’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. “It’s difficult to measure the impact,” Kilburn admits modestly, though many members would argue otherwise as they have seen their businesses develop and grow, as a result of the learnings from FEO’s specially designed programmes for entrepreneurs.
Still, there’s one thing that frustrates him. “Big employers like Reckitt, Smith & Nephew, and Centrica don’t always see the value. With their local staff, they could make such a difference. I’d like to see them get involved.”
As a business, MKM also puts its money where its mouth is, as a Key Partner of FEO. Personally, he is very much involved, remaining on the Board, hosting Directors’ breakfast events, facilitating entrepreneurship programmes, but he also sees the value of financial support too.
David continues to run one of the sessions for FEO’s End Game(s) programme - guiding business owners through “life after work or a life’s work.”
“My session is about MKM, which is all about profit - but profit that benefits everyone.” Like Airbnb or Uber, MKM doesn’t own assets; it is run on relationships and results.
He’s gradually selling his shares through private equity, ensuring MKM’s branches retain profit and independence. “It’s a win-win. We can show growth and continuity.”
He warns other entrepreneurs not to assume they can simply sell their business. “If it can’t run without you, you don’t really have a business. End Game(s) helps people see beyond that and explore four different options, hence the (s).”
True to form, David tackles even ageing with strategy. “No matter your finances, you’ve got to plan for life - pensions, investments, property - and then brace for inheritance tax.”
He speaks pragmatically about mortality but remains driven by a zest for life. “I have no desire to die, yet. It frightens me. So I look after myself - I rarely drink, I train twice a week, I play golf in Portugal, and I watch my weight. The key is to keep your mind alive and active. Because if you have nothing to do, you fade away, I’ve seen it happen to other people.”
As Hull’s entrepreneurial community continues to grow, so does David’s legacy - built on belief, boldness, and more than a little fairy dust!
FEO is grateful to a founder whose passion continues to spark possibility for others and supports the city in dreaming bigger.
Email:
info@forentrepreneursonly.co.uk
Address:
For Entrepreneurs Only Quarry House, Hesslewood Office Park, Hessle, East Yorkshire, HU130LH
