Builders’ merchants’ sales fall in Q3

Total Builders’ Merchants’ value sales in Q3 2019 were down -0.8% against the same period last year. The adjusted figure, which takes into account the difference in trading days, was down -2.3% compared with Q3 2018. Following a relatively buoyant July, sales fell substantially in August year-on-year, before recovering in September.

Value sales of Heavy Building Materials (the largest category) declined marginally by -0.4% year-on-year, while Timber & Joinery sales were down by -4.7% over the same period. Kitchens & Bathrooms was among the strongest categories with growth of 3.2% in Q3.

Compared with Q2 2019, Total Builders’ Merchants’ sales were up marginally by +0.2%. However, when adjusted for the four additional trading days in Q3, the figures showed a decline in sales of -6.0%, marking the second consecutive quarter of negative growth. Merchants’ sales of both Heavy Building Materials (-5.5%) and Timber & Joinery (-6.5%) fell significantly quarter-on-quarter.

The third quarter total BMBI index was 123.1, while September’s BMBI index was 118.9, with Landscaping (125.3) the top performing category.