Having endured three-and-a-half years of Brexit turmoil, the country now faces a far bigger challenge and greater uncertainty.
The BMBI February report pre-dated social distancing (which started on March 19) and the lockdown (from March 24); hence merchants’ February trading will not have been much affected by the emerging coronavirus pandemic.
Year-On-Year
Total builders’ merchant sales in February were down 1.3% compared with February 2019, with timber and joinery products among the weaker categories (-6.9%). Others included tools (-4%) and heavy building materials (-1.9%).
Among the seven categories that sold more this year, work wear and safety wear showed strong growth (+30.8%) driven by higher demand for protective equipment (including masks, goggles and gloves).
Month-On-Month
Compared with January, sales in February increased by 2.2% despite having two fewer trading days. Eight categories sold more, led by landscaping (+16.5%).
Four categories sold less, including timber and joinery products (-2.2%) and plumbing, heating and electrical (-1.5%).
Other Periods
Sales in the three months, December 2019 to February 2020, were down by 1.2% compared with the same period a year earlier. Sales for the 12 months March 2019 to February 2020 were down 0.9% on the same period the previous year, with one less trading day.
Index
February’s BMBI index was 107.6. Ten of the 12 categories exceeded 100, led by work wear and safety wear (128.0). The index for timber and joinery products was 104.9.
