profile
Charles Burns
Charles Burns is Divisional Director for Brett Martin Plumbing and Drainage, and with 25 year’s experience in the construction products industry, brings extensive insight to this category. Charles joined Brett Martin in 2018 and has led an aggressive expansion of the business with a focus on delivering leading levels of customer service to builders’ merchants.
Prior to joining Brett Martin, Charles trained as a Chartered Accountant, qualifying with PWC and worked for Kingspan for 19 years, leading a Global Business Unit in the Water and Energy Division.
Brett Martin Ltd
With more than 60 years’ manufacturing experience in the building materials market, Brett Martin remains family owned with a 1000 strong workforce, operating from multiple sites across the UK.
Known for reliable customer service, dependable product quality and a consistent partnership approach with merchants, Brett Martin is a preferred supplier across a number of sectors, and remains the UK’s largest independent supplier of plumbing and drainage products.
Continued investment in the business is driving product innovation and supporting carbon reduction initiatives including onsite solar and wind generated renewable energy, supporting a new generation of low carbon construction products.
Visit: www.brettmartin.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brett-martin-ltd/
Twitter: @BMDrainage
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.
Brett Martin Comment: Q3 2024
Unfortunately, Quarter Three continued to exhibit the sluggish market conditions that were carried over from the first half of the year. House builders and independent merchants remain gloomy about the rest of this year and the early months of 2025, but with five year and two year fixed interest rates now at their lowest point for 12 months we believe we are approaching the bottom of the market.
Inflation has lifted to 2.3% in October, but this does not appear to derail the planned drop in the Bank of England base rate. Repair maintenance and improvement (RMI) activity remains as subdued as new build activity, and reduced household disposable income and a relatively neutral budget from a household perspective will not add the much-needed stimulus.
The government’s target of 300,000 new houses a year is welcomed, and the budget did give some support to public sector new build but that isn’t sufficient to create the stimulus to meet the 300,000 new homes target.
Cost inflation is a continuing concern, coming from both internal and external forces. The self-inflicted inflationary hit from the budgetary double whammy of increased employers National Insurance and the raised minimum wage will undoubtedly manifest themselves as price increases in the first half of 2025. The new government in the United States has also indicated the potential for a tariff driven trade war. That can only lead to increased material inflation.
The independent merchant sector continues to outperform the overall distribution market, and we believe customer service levels and a commitment to long term strategic partnerships are central to our shared success. As a privately owned business, Brett Martin continues to invest in production and distribution capacity to ensure we can service our merchant partners when the upturn eventually arrives.