Although demand has remained subdued with slowing new house building and the economic conditions putting pressure on the RM&I sector, sales are generally more robust than predicted at the end… Read more
It was a comparatively quiet start to 2023 with marginal economic growth, a slowdown in construction and subdued aggregate demand. Low consumer confidence and higher mortgage rates affected housebuilders’ expectations,… Read more
The quarterly nature of these updates demands a focus on the immediate, but this time I’m keen to discuss a bigger issue. One whose sheer scale doesn’t necessarily create tangible… Read more
In what was predicted to be a slower start to 2023, Q1 volumes were lower than the same period last year, in line with our forecast. More positively, we have… Read more
The first quarter of 2023 is down on the previous year, but it’s less than expected, remembering that the first half of 2022 was still in the post-Covid construction boom…. Read more
With energy prices still at record highs and only weeks to go before Government support for home energy bills is lowered, new figures from a YouGov survey of homeowners, commissioned… Read more
So the first few months of 2023 haven’t been easy for the construction sector. But, as we saw from the expert comments to wrap up 2022 we had been expecting… Read more
Sales volumes were impacted by a slowdown in the new build housing and home improvement markets throughout Q1. UK consumer confidence was at record low levels, and we are seeing… Read more
After a slow start, Q1 started to gather momentum in March as better weather laid the groundwork for a boost in paving sales. A lot has been reported in the… Read more
After a softening in demand across most timber products in the second half of 2022, hopes for a stronger start to 2023 have yet to materialise. From a sharp drop-off… Read more
Launched in 2015, the award winning monthly Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) report is the only reliable measure of repair, maintenance & improvement (RMI) activity in the UK. Filling an important gap, it can be widely used in construction, and by economists, Government, national media, commentators and influencers outside the industry.
