The South West has powered ahead with sales of building products, according to figures from a national trade body.
The Builders Merchants Federation’s Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI), places the region in the top position in their index, after measuring the sales performance at builders’ merchants in 11 areas across Britain.
Figures for the South West, stand at +15.2 per cent, in Q4 2020, compared with the same timeframe in 2019, against a national average taken across all the regions of +5.4 per cent.
David Young is the BMF’s Regional Chairman for the South West, and Chief Executive Officer of builders’ merchants, Bradfords, which has branches across the region. He said: “We saw in summer and autumn a general trend, as householders looked to invest in their properties and especially the outside space.
“Incredibly, the latest BMBI figures show this landscaping season has extended into winter, with Q4 figures covering October, November and December 2020.
“Across the South West, builders’ merchants have done well to service this demand and have worked hard to provide safe working environments for all.”
The BMF’s BMBI is seen as a gold standard in the building materials sector to measure sales activity – in an industry considered a key bellwether of the national economy and the ‘mood of the nation’ in terms of home repair, maintenance and improvement.
Using GfK’s point of sale tracking data, the BMF’s BMBI is drawn from over 80 per cent of builders’ merchants’ sales throughout the country, making it the most reliable source of data for the sector.
Figures from the BMF’s BMBI are used in the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s Monthly Construction Update.
John Newcomb is chief executive of the BMF, which represents members across the South West. He said:
“The BMBI figures show a strong performance in landscaping in Q4, which reflects the fact that the public’s focus on their gardens, seen in the first lockdown, has continued.
“The Covid effect will continue to be felt for some time to come, but the industry is adapting to the enforced changes it has brought about, leading me to conclude with a cautious degree of optimism for the coming year.”