Product category:
Builders Merchants
News Release from: Builders Merchants Federation [BMF] | Subject: Q1 market downturn
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 07 May 2008
Merchant sales in Q1 reflect market
downturn
Latest figures from Builders Merchants Federation reveal Sales of building materials at builders' merchants across the country were down by 3.1% during the first three months of 2008.
A comparison with the preceding three month period, October to December 2007, shows a drop in sales of 2.5% Merchants in the West Midlands and the North West have been hardest hit experiencing a drop in sales of 10.5% and 10.4% respectively
Very few parts of the country showed an overall increase in sales, the greatest being the Northern region where sales were up 2.6% on Q1 last year.
Nationally, sales of heavyside were up by a modest 1.5% on the same quarter of 2007, while lightside sales showed no change.
Mixed stock merchants have been worst affected, experiencing an overall fall in sales of 4.6%.
Commenting on the figures, BMF Secretary, Peter Matthews said: "Even allowing for poor weather and an early Easter these figures confirm a slowdown in builders' workload reflecting the credit crunch and the current near stalling of the housing market".
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