The latest Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) report, published in September, shows builders’ merchants’ total value sales in July 2025 were virtually flat (+0.1%) compared to July 2024. Year-on-year volumes… Read more
The Office for National Statistics published estimates of Construction Output for July 2025 this morning. Main points: • Total construction output is estimated to have grown by 0.6% in the… Read more
Q2 2025 – the story behind the numbers. The BMBI Q2 report is out giving us a much clearer picture of how 2025 is shaping up. Q2 delivered a second… Read more
Spring saw some of the warmest, sunniest weather many of us can remember at this time of year, which supported strong demand for timber landscaping products, especially in the DIY… Read more
The UK house-building market has seen a distinct lack of growth or recovery. Recent trading updates from house builders and their supply chain partners confirm a flat market outlook. When… Read more
Students of marketing may be aware of the iconic 1978 political advertisement from the Conservative party: “Labour isn’t Working”. While the employment situation which underpinned the pun is different in… Read more
Quarter two 2025 has delivered encouraging signals for the UK building materials sector, with construction output growing +1.2% between Q1 and Q2 2025, reported by the ONS, and infrastructure projects… Read more
In what is still a tough market, more contractors are fighting over less volume, creating more quoting and re-quoting activity for suppliers and merchants. The inevitable war on price is… Read more
The trade paint market continues to improve as the year progresses, with volume growth so far at +2% when compared to this time last year. Exterior categories like masonry have… Read more
Demand in the fastener and fixings sector has continued to follow the general trends across merchants, with continuing soft demand driven by the sluggish levels of construction and Repair Maintenance… 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.
