Sales of building materials were down 3.1% during the first quarter under pressure from the credit crunch and stalling housing market, according to figures from the Builders Merchants Federation (BMF).
Year on year, lightside sales showed no change and heavyside materials showed a growth of 1.5%. However, mixed stock merchants were the hardest hit, with an overall fall in sales of 4.6%.
This was most evident in the west midlands and north-west, where sales were down 10.5% and 10.4% respectively.
“Even allowing for poor weather and an early Easter these figures confirm a slowdown in builders’ workloads, reflecting the credit crunch and the current near stalling of the housing market,” BMF secretary Peter Matthews.
