Total Builders Merchants July 2021 value sales were up 14.5% compared with the same month last year, with two less trading days this year. Timber & Joinery Products (+42.4%) did best and the category achieved its highest-ever monthly BMBI sales. Other categories grew more slowly than merchants overall. Kitchens & Bathrooms (+13.9%) was the next-strongest performer, achieving its highest sales in the last 12 months. Plumbing Heating & Electrical (+10.4%), Heavy Building Materials (+8.9%) and Decorating (+2.3%) also sold more. Three categories sold less this year: Tools (-1.5%), Landscaping (-1.6%) and Workwear & Safetywear (-29.5%) –the latter two having seen significant Covid-related growth this time last year. Overall average sales a day were 25.5% higher than in July 2020.
July 2021 v July 2019
Compared with two years ago, Total Merchants sales were up 13.1% in July 2021, with two less trading days this year. However this growth was primarily driven by the strength of two categories: Timber & Joinery Products (+44.6%) and Landscaping (+23.4%). Heavy Building Materials (+4.5%) grew more slowly. Most of the remaining categories sold less this year, including Kitchens & Bathrooms (-1.6%), Decorating (-6.8%), Plumbing Heating and Electrical (-7.1%) and Workwear & Safetywear (-14.5%) the weakest category. Average sales a day were 23.8% higher in July 2021.
Month-on-Month
Total July sales were 3.8% lower than June, with one less trading day this month. Kitchens & Bathrooms (+1.1%) was strongest, along with minor categories Miscellaneous and Services, also up 1.1%. Timber & Joinery Products (+0.1%) was flat. All remaining categories sold less, including Heavy Building Materials (-4.2%), Plumbing Heating & Electrical (-8.1%) and Landscaping (-12.9%). Workwear & Safetywear (-17.0%) was weakest. Average sales a day were up 0.8%.
Last three months, year on year
Total sales in May to July 2021 were 35.4% up on a Covid-affected period last year, with two less trading days this year. All categories sold more. Timber & Joinery Products (+64.8%) led the field, followed by Kitchens & Bathrooms (+50.0%). Renewables (+48.8%), Plumbing Heating & Electrical (+46.5%) and Tools (+38.7%) also out-performed merchants generally. Ironmongery (+32.7%), Decorating (+29.3%) and Heavy Building Materials (+27.4%) grew more slowly. Workwear & Safetywear (+1.4%) did least well. Average sales a day increased by 39.8%.
Last 3 months v 2019
Total Builders Merchants sales in May to July 2021 were 17.3% higher than in May to July 2019, with two less trading days this year. Two categories did particularly well: Timber & Joinery Products (+43.7%) and Landscaping (+35.0%). Five categories grew more slowly, including Heavy Building Materials (+8.6%), Ironmongery (+2.8%) and Kitchens & Bathrooms (+1.3%). The remaining categories sold less, with Miscellaneous the weakest (-5.8%). Average sales a day were 21.0% higher.
Last 3 months v previous 3 months
With one less trading day, Total sales in May to July were 9.1% higher than in February to April. Timber & Joinery Products (+19.1%) and Landscaping (+11.7%) out-performed merchants overall. Heavy Building Materials (+7.2%), Kitchens & Bathrooms (+6.3%) and three more categories grew more slowly. Five categories sold less in May to July, including Plumbing Heating & Electrical (-6.9%). Workwear & Safetywear (-9.9%) was weakest. Overall average sales a day were 10.9% higher than in February to April.
Year to date
Total Merchants sales January to July 2021, with three less trading days, were up 42.4% compared with Covid-affected January to July 2020. Timber & Joinery Products (+67.7) was the top-performer, followed by Tools (+47.0%) and Landscaping (+45.1%). Other categories grew more slowly, including Kitchens & Bathrooms (+36.7%) and Heavy Building Materials (+34.4%. Workwear & Safetywear (+5.0%) was the weakest. Average sales a day were 45.4% higher.
Year to date v 2019
Looking back two years, sales in the seven months to July 2021 were up 13.4% on January to July 2019, with two less trading days this year. Landscaping (+38.7%) did best, with Timber & Joinery Products (+31.4%) close behind. Heavy Building Materials(+6.4%) and Workwear & Safetywear (+6.3%) were among five categories growing more slowly. Four categories sold less than two years ago, with Decorating (-2.6%) weakest. Overall average sales a day were 15.0% higher this year.
MAT
Total Builders Merchants sales in the 12 months August 2020 to July 2021 were 25.2% higher than in the same 12 months a year earlier, with two less trading days in the most recent period. Again Timber & Joinery Products (+41.1%) and Landscaping (+37.1%) dominated. All other categories sold more than in 2019, with Tools (+22.6%), Heavy Building Materials (+20.2%) and Ironmongery (+17.6%) the next-strongest. Workwear & Safetywear (+2.0%) had the lowest growth. Average sales a day were 26.2% higher.
Index
July’s BMBI index was 151.1, helped by strong performances from Landscaping (204.8) and Timber & Joinery Products (199.8). Seven other categories recorded indices exceeding 100, including Heavy Building Materials (136.8), Ironmongery (129.2
