Total Builders Merchants November 2021 value sales were up 17.4% compared with the same month last year, with one more trading day this year. All categories sold more. Two categories had their best-ever month and a further two had their highest 2021 monthly turnover. Timber & Joinery Products (+30.2%) did best in November, with its 15th consecutive month of year-on-year growth. Next-strongest were Renewables & Water Saving (+18.0%) and Landscaping (+17.1%). Services was also up 17.1% and recorded its best-ever sales since BMBI started in July 2014. Other categories growing strongly included Kitchens & Bathrooms (+14.5%), which also had its highest-ever monthly BMBI turnover, Plumbing Heating & Electrical (+13.8%) which had its best month of 2021 and Heavy Building Materials (+13.5%). Workwear & Safetywear (+3.3%) had the lowest growth but still recorded its highest monthly sales of the year. Overall like-for-like sales were 12.1% higher than in November 2020.
November 2021 v November 2019
Total sales in November 2021 were 28.0% higher than the same month two years ago, with one more trading day this year. Eleven of the twelve categories sold more. Landscaping (+51.4%) and Timber & Joinery Products (+51.3%) were especially strong, continuing the trend seen across most of 2021. Heavy Building Materials (+23.4%), Kitchens & Bathrooms (+12.1%), Ironmongery (+10.6%) and Tools (+8.8%) were among eight categories growing more slowly. Only Workwear & Safetywear (-2.9%) sold less compared with November 2019. Overall like-for-like sales were 22.2% higher than November 2019.
Month-on-Month
Total Merchant sales were 3.2% higher in November than in October, helped by one more trading day in November. Eleven of the twelve categories sold more. Renewables & Water Saving (+15.9%) did best, followed by Workwear & Safetywear (+13.4%) and Kitchens & Bathrooms (+12.5%). Plumbing Heating & Electrical (+9.4%), Decorating (+4.4%) and Heavy Building Materials (+3.7%) also out-performed merchants overall. Only Landscaping (-3.2%) sold less. Total like-for-like sales were down 1.4%.
Last 3 months, year on year
Total sales in September to November were up 14.5% on the same period last year. Eleven of the twelve categories sold more.
Timber & Joinery Products (+32.4%) continued to strongly out-perform the total market. Growth in other categories varied, from Landscaping (+10.7%), Kitchens & Bathrooms (+10.4%) and Heavy Building Materials (+9.5%), to Ironmongery (+2.4%). Workwear & Safetywear (-2.8%) was the only category that sold less.
Last 3 months v 2019
Compared with two years ago, overall sales in the latest three months were 20.9% higher than in September-November 2019. Ten of the twelve categories sold more. Timber & Joinery Products (+46.4%) and Landscaping (+39.0%) were outstanding in comparison with 2019, as has been the case throughout 2021.
Heavy Building Materials (+14.9%) also did well, with Kitchens & Bathrooms (+7.2%) Ironmongery (+3.0%) and Decorating (+0.4%) growing more slowly. Workwear & Safetywear (-7.3%) sold less.
Last 3 months v previous 3 months
Total sales in the latest three months were 3.2% lower than in the previous three months, with one more trading day in the most recent period. Eight categories sold more, led by Workwear & Safetywear (+17.4%) and Plumbing Heating & Electrical (+15.5%), with Tools and Kitchens & Bathrooms both 7.4% higher. Ironmongery (+0.0%) was flat. The remaining three categories sold less, with seasonal category Landscaping (-24.6%) weakest. Overall like-for-like sales were 4.6% lower than in June to September.
Year to date, year on year
Total Merchants sales in January to November 2021 were up 31.5% compared with Covid-affected January to November 2020. All categories sold more. There were two less trading days this year. Timber & Joinery Products (+54.1%) was the top-performer by some margin, followed by Landscaping (+32.0%). Most other categories also had double-digit growth, including Tools (+28.5%), Kitchens & Bathrooms (+25.1%), Heavy Building Materials (+24.7%) and Plumbing Heating & Electrical (+24.6%). Only Workwear & Safetywear (+1.9%) failed to achieve double-digit growth. Total like-for-like sales were 32.6% higher.
Year to date v 2019
Total sales in the eleven months to November 2021 were up 15.9% on January to November 2019, with two less trading days this year. Nine of the twelve categories sold more. Landscaping (+37.9%) did best, closely followed by Timber & Joinery Products (+36.9%). Categories growing more slowly included Heavy Building Materials (+9.0%) and Kitchens & Bathrooms (+0.8%). Of three categories selling less, Decorating (-1.8%) was weakest. Total like-for-like sales were 16.9% higher this year.
MAT
Total Merchants sales in the 12 months December 2020 to November 2021 were 30.1% higher than in the same 12 months a year earlier. All categories sold more. Standout category Timber & Joinery Products (+52.1%) continued to perform strongly. Landscaping (+31.7%), Tools (+26.9%), Heavy Building Materials (+23.5%) and Kitchens & Bathrooms (+23.4%) were next-strongest. Workwear & Safetywear (+2.2%) had the lowest growth.
Index
November’s overall BMBI index was 145.0, particularly helped by Timber & Joinery Products (182.1). Almost all categories recorded indices over a 100, including Landscaping (143.7), Plumbing Heating & Electrical (143.3) and Kitchens & Bathrooms (140.6). Only Renewables (82.9) was below 100.
