Merchanting and DIY Group Grafton - the owner of brands such as Woodies and Chadwicks - has reported total revenue for the year of £2.95 billion, an increase of 9% on 2017.
Grafton said its pre-tax profits for the year amounted to £188.4m - an increase of 20%.
The company has proposed a dividend of 18 pence, up 20% on the previous year's dividend and marking the sixth year in a row of double digit growth.
"Grafton continues to benefit from exposure to the fast growing Irish and Dutch markets and from strong underlying demand fundamentals in the UK market," the company's chief executive Gavin Slark said.
"The group's excellent cash generation from operations, good liquidity and strong balance sheet should continue to support the development of the business," he added.
Looking ahead, Grafton said the merchanting and DIY markets in Ireland should continue to benefit from the positive outlook for the economy, although some moderation in the pace of growth in consumer spending is expected.
Gavin Slark also said that any short extension to Brexit negotiations must include a very clear roadmap to remove the uncertainty hitting British business.
"To be honest if you ask most business leaders who operate in the UK, what most business leaders want is clarity," Mr Slark said.
"If there was an extension but it was relatively short and there was a very clear roadmap where we would get some clarity at the end of that, that's fine but I think the worst thing to try and deal with is uncertainty," he added.
In its results statement, Grafton said that its Irish merchanting business saw strong organic growth for the fifth year in a row in a favourable market as house building increased and commercial construction activity strengthened.
Its UK merchanting business increased its market share through the Leyland SMD purchase that was finalised in February and through the opening of new Selco branches.
Woodies, which marked its 30th anniversary last year, saw "an exceptional" level of organic growth in revenue and profitability, including a strong performance from seasonal ranges in the summer months.
The DIY chain's operating profits soared by 50% to £16.8m while revenues increased by 9.9% to £198.2m.
Grafton said that revenue in its overall merchanting segment rose by 8.4% to £2.676 billion, with adjusted operating profits up 14.1% to £173m. Favourable trading conditions were seen in Ireland and the Netherlands, with relatively flat conditions reported in the UK and Belgium.
The company also noted its Irish merchanting revenues for last year grew by 8.4% to £441.1m while operating profits increased by 16% to £41.5m with an increase in the supply of building materials to all phases of house building a key contributor to revenue growth.
The business continued to strengthen its position in the housing RMI market as it said that consumers responded to the increase in the equity in their homes and growth in employment and disposable incomes by upgrading their homes.
Grafton also reported an increase in new build and refurbishment in the retail, office and hotel sectors.
