It’s been a tough start to the year for Britain’s builders’ merchants. The war in the Middle East is seriously weakening the economy and interrupting global supply chains, and the… Read more
UK Trade Paint volume held up in Q1 2026, but the underlying picture is mixed, and the outlook for construction suggests there is increasing pressure ahead. The market is essentially… Read more
The first quarter’s market performance has been varied, with sector performance, particularly High-Rise Residential, contracting. So, all sectors continue to have growth challenges, and recent forecasts confirm that. The Middle… Read more
Quarter 1 2026 has been exceptional, but not in ways a drainage system business might hope for! Some regions reported over 50 consecutive days of rain, making normal ground works… Read more
Gas boilers continue to dominate the UK heating market in Q1 2026, with over 80% of UK households using gas for central heating some replacement demand is unavoidable. But sales… Read more
The Office for National Statistics published estimates of Construction Output for March 2026 this morning. Main points: • Total construction output is estimated to have grown by 0.4% in Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar)… Read more
The latest figures from the Plumbing & Heating Merchant Index (PHMI) report show like-for-like value sales (adjusted to remove the impact of trading days) for February 2026 through specialist plumbing… Read more
The latest Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) report, published in April, shows February’s total like-for-like value sales (adjusted to remove the effect of trading days) were -4.3% lower than the… Read more
The Office for National Statistics published estimates of Construction Output for February 2026 this morning. Main points: • Total construction output is estimated to have fallen by 2.0% in the… Read more
The fight to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and embodied carbon in construction has been advanced considerably in recent months by two industry milestones. The first was an update from Heidelberg… Read more
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.
