Total Builders Merchants value sales were 14.8% higher in May 2022 than the same month in 2021, driven by price inflation (+17.8%) with volume down (2.5%). There was one more trading day this year. All categories sold more. Kitchens & Bathrooms (+29.7%) grew most. Six other categories did better than Merchants overall, including Plumbing, Heating & Electrical (+ 21.6%), Heavy Building Materials (+20.6%) and Decorating (+16.5%). Tools (+11.9%), Ironmongery (+11.3%), Timber & Joinery Products
(+6.8%) and Landscaping (+5.1%) grew more slowly. Total like for like sales (which take trading day differences into account) were 9.1% higher.
May 2022 v May 2019
Total May 2022 sales were +23.9% higher than May 2019, a more normal year, driven by price inflation (+30.0%) and volume down (4.7%), with one less trading day. All categories sold more, with three categories outperforming Merchants overall: Renewables & Water Saving (+50.8%), Timber & Joinery (+36.8%) and Landscaping (+33.0%). Other categories grew more slowly, including Kitchens & Bathrooms (+23.3%), Heavy Building Materials (+20.5%) and Workwear & Safetywear (+13.7%). Total like for like sales were up +30.1%.
May 2022 v May 2022
Total Merchants sales were +8.7% higher in May 2022 than April 2022, with one more trading day. All categories sold more, led by Renewables & Water Saving (+18.8%). Heavy Building Materials (+10.5%), Kitchens & Bathrooms (+10.0%), Decorating (+8.9%), Ironmongery (+8.6%), Plumbing, Heating & Electrical (+8.0%), Timber & Joinery Products (+7.4%) grew more slowly. Total like for like sales were +3.3% higher, with volume up +7.17% and price inflation of +1.46%.
Last 3 months, year on year
Total sales in the three months, March to May 2022, were +7.8% up on the same period last year, with price inflation of +17.8%, volume down 8.5%, and no difference in trading days. Eleven of the twelve categories sold more, with Kitchens & Bathrooms (+23.6%), Plumbing, Heating & Electrical (+14.8%), and Heavy Building Materials up (+10.9%). Landscaping 3.9%) was weakest.
Latest three months v 3 years ago
Compared with the same months three years ago, sales in March to May 2022 were +26.6% higher than in March to May 2019, driven by price (+27.8%) with volume down (0.9%). There was no difference in trading days. All categories sold more. Two categories grew the most: Landscaping (+44.4%) and Timber & Joinery Products (+40.5%). Heavy Building Materials (+21.8%), Kitchens & Bathrooms (+20.6%), and Plumbing, Heating & Electrical (+15.6%) grew more slowly.
Latest three months v previous three months
Total sales in the three months March to May 2022 were +34.2% higher than December 2021 to February 2022, driven more by volume (+32.2%) than price (+1.5%) and five more trading days in the most recent period. All categories sold more. Two did better than Merchants overall: Landscaping (+87.6%) and Heavy Building Materials (+36.3%) grew strongly. Timber & Joinery Products (+26.0%), Kitchens & Bathrooms (+21.1%) and Plumbing, Heating & Electrical (+12.5%) also grew. Like-for-like sales were +23.4% higher than in December 2021 to February 2022.
Year to date, year-on-year
Year to date, January to May 2022, total value sales were +12.8% higher than in January to May 2021. With price inflation of +16.6%, volume was down -3.3%. There was no difference in trading days. All categories sold more including Kitchens & Bathrooms (+24.8%), Renewables & Water Savings (+22.7%), Plumbing, Heating & Electrical (+15.4%) and Heavy Building Materials (+14.6%).
Year to date v 2019
Total value sales from January to May 2022 were 23.8% higher compared with a more normal year, January to May 2019. With price inflation of +25.4%, volume was down -1.3%, with two less trading days. All categories sold more. Landscaping (+43.8%), Timber & Joinery Products (+38.4%) and Renewables & Water Saving (+32.7%) performed better than Total Merchants. Like-for-like sales were +26.2% higher.
MAT
Total Merchants sales in June 2021 to May 2022 were +15.7% higher than in the same 12 months a year earlier. With price inflation of +15.7%, volume was effectively flat (+0.02%). Total like-for-like sales were 16.2% higher with one less trading day in the most recent 12 months. Eleven of the twelve categories sold more. Timber & Joinery Products (+27.0%) grew most. Other categories grew more slowly including Plumbing, Heating & Electrical (+15.0%), Heavy Building Materials (+13.6%) and Landscaping (+6.1%) except for Workwear & Safetywear (-1.1%) which sold less.
