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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.