April’s BMBI report is unlike any other. The government-enforced Covid-19 lockdown came late in March, so had a limited impact on the month. However, April took the full force, with many trades not working and most merchants temporarily closing branches or providing a restricted service only for essential sectors or emergencies. As a result, this report contains unprecedented figures.
Year-On-Year
Total builders merchants value sales in April were down 76.3% compared with April 2019. All categories saw heavy falls, with work wear and safety wear least affected (-60.2%), and tools (-90%) hit hardest. Timber and joinery products dropped by 79%.
Month-On-Month
Total merchant value sales in April were 72.1% below March 2020, with two fewer trading days. All categories were severely hit, with timber and joinery products down by 74.4%. Average sales a day, which removes trading day differences, were 69.3% lower overall than in March.
Other Periods
Sales in the first four months of 2020 were 25.2% lower than in January to April 2019, with one more trading day this year. Work wear and safety wear (+4.4%) was the only category that sold more – driven by strong demand for protective equipment in March.
Index April’s BMBI index was 29.0 and all categories were well down.
For timber and joinery products the index was 25.8.
