Merchants’ sales fall as Brexit deadline nears 

22 October 2019

After a strong start to the year, growing uncertainty around Brexit led to a marked slowdown in merchants’ sales in Q2. As the deadline looms closer it’s clear that the uncertainty continues to impact negatively on merchants’ sales.

Total Builders Merchants’ sales in August 2019 were down 5.6% compared with the same period in 2018. On a like-for-like basis, with one less trading day, average sales a day were only 1.1% down. The best performing sector in August was Kitchens & Bathrooms, which increased by 3.0% year-on-year, on an adjusted basis.

Source: GfK Builders' Merchant Point of Sale Tracking Data July 2014 - August 2019.

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About BMBI  

The Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) tracks builders’ merchants’ actual sales to builders and contractors using GfK’s Builders’ Merchant Point of Sale Tracking Data. The BMBI represents over 80% of the value of the builders' merchants' market. Visit www.bmbi.co.uk/the-index to see the full August 2019 report. Read trends, analysis and industry issues from our panel of construction industry experts.