Demand within the fasteners and fixings sector continues to mirror wider merchant trends, with the construction market experiencing its longest sustained downturn since the financial crisis. While 2025 saw a modest increase in volumes across all fastener and fixing product groups, supported by continued growth in Q4, this improvement was not matched by profitability. Although prices stabilised for the first time during the year, this did not translate into meaningful margin recovery.

In a market where both sales value and volume remain under significant pressure, the central challenge is to maximise returns from the sales opportunities that remain. Looking to 2026, the outlook for fasteners and fixings is expected to follow a similar trajectory, closely linked to trends in manufacturing and the construction sector. There are reasons for cautious optimism. The Government’s ambition to deliver 300,000 new homes during this parliamentary term, while unlikely to be fully realised, should still result in meaningful progress that supports demand.

For Owlett-Jaton, brand development remains a core focus. This includes the continued strengthening of existing brands, alongside the evaluation and introduction of new products designed to meet evolving market needs driven by changes in regulation, compliance, and statutory requirements.

Momentum behind the Data Yard initiative, led by BMF and NMBS, is encouraging and increasingly aligned with the needs of the industry. Data Yard has the potential to simplify and ensure merchants have access to consistent, reliable information to better serve their customers, and Owlett-Jaton is proud to be an early adopter of this important initiative.

Compliance is a growing and complex challenge, with acronyms such as CBAM, EPD, DPP, CE, UKCA, TDS and ADD commonplace across the sector. As a supplier of more than 30,000 SKUs, staying ahead of these requirements is costly and time-intensive. To address this, Owlett-Jaton has invested heavily in the development of a comprehensive in-house Product Information Management (PIM) system, enabling a more efficient and structured approach to compliance management – no small undertaking at this scale.

Digital Product Passports (DPPs) are also approaching implementation. While the precise scope and requirements are yet to be fully defined for fasteners and fixings, Owlett-Jaton continues to enhance its PIM capabilities, expand batch-level data capture, and strengthen traceability processes to ensure long-term readiness.