After a slow start to the year, Quarter 2 brought little to cheer about.  Activity levels remained subdued and the General Election created a distraction.  The general consensus amongst merchants was that June was very disappointing, with low levels of footfall and projects on the go slow due to weather or confidence.

The new Government are saying all the right things: 1.5 million new homes over the next 5 years are needed, but can they be delivered?  Manufacturers and merchants would certainly welcome the volume but both need reassurance on the realistic rate of increase in construction activity if we are to make the investment in people and capacity necessary to meet this demand.   Main and sub-contractors will need to invest in their teams to provide the necessary skills, and as a country, we need to make apprenticeships in construction attractive to young people entering the world of work.

It may be a coincidence, however since the election the market does seem to have turned a corner.  Confidence is improving, inflation fell to target levels (temporarily at least) and interest rates began to fall.  We have all the conditions for a better market!

For Keylite, July was strong, and the trend is continuing into August. The weather is being kind to us and volumes are growing.  Most housebuilders are very confident that their completions in H2 will be significantly up on H1 and merchants recognise the need to invest in stock to service the growing demand.

Quote levels remain high, and the closed-won value is rising. Most areas are now at or above last year’s sales volumes, which is really encouraging to see.

We remain committed to supporting our merchant customers to meet the needs of the market, providing installers with high quality, easy to fit roof windows and loft ladders with flexibility and agility, whatever the market throws at us.