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: Q1 2024
Quarter 1 2024 continued the trend for trading conditions challenged by a continued weakness in the UK construction market, and particularly in the new build residential sector where a double figure regression resulted in a predictable weakening in year-on-year product demand.
This was confirmed by the NHBC (National House Building Council) who cited prevailing economic conditions, skills shortages and the eighth wettest winter on record for the falls. For Q1 2024, it recorded 21,967 new home registrations, down 20% against Q1 2023.
Thankfully the whole market is made up of more than just the residential market, and at Brett Martin our Quarter 1 performance, which reflecting our customer and product mix performed better than the new build housing sector. Many independent merchants maintain a diverse portfolio of business which has enabled them to manage the current soft market conditions with the view that a return to market growth is increasingly looking unlikely in 2024.
The latest housing report does bear some glimmer of hope based around modest month-on-month gains, but still not enough to shift the overall deficits. As we all like to remind ourselves, the underlaying demand for construction hasn’t gone away, it just needs a jump start to get it going.
At this stage manufacturers are finding the financial market’s “will we, wont we, lower mortgage rates” monthly commentary unhelpful for consumer confidence, along with the start of tit for tat doomsday electioneering mudslinging. The battle against inflation appears to be gaining ground and, while that doesn’t put money in people’s pockets, it might at least provide some more confidence boosting headlines as we move through the year.
At Brett Martin we are “putting our money where our mouth is” by continuing to invest in projects which will further improve our customer service and competitiveness. Two thousand and twenty-three represented an exceptional year of customer acquisition, and through a focus on service we have continued this trend in 2024. Our market research confirms that in softer market conditions the industry values hassle-free service and support more than at any other time.