Summary
• Fencing sales have slowed over recent weeks.
• The January upturn means that, for many, sales are ahead for this time of year.
• Reports of early failures of fence posts continue.
Discussing the weather may be considered a national pastime for the British, but for the fencing sector it’s something of a professional preoccupation.
While fencing manufacturers and suppliers keep one eye on stock levels, the other is on the weather, and this year the skies have thrown the whole mixed bag of meteorology at the UK.
Storms in January gave the sector a strong start to the year and boosted sales through to late February. After a slight dip to more seasonal levels, sales improved again as the Easter build-up coincided with unseasonally warm weather.
“In March/April the weather was really pleasant and encouraged people to think about their gardens, and it got our customers thinking about Easter and getting their stocks in place. It was a mini upturn,” said one manufacturer.
Then the weather disappointed everyone and sales returned to more usual seasonal levels.
“Demand is now where we would expect it to be at this time of year but it’s dropped relative to the spike we saw earlier in the year. However, cumulatively, our fencing sales are still ahead of last year,” said the manufacturer.
Another manufacturer said the early-year upturn was strong enough to sustain the company through the summer.
“We’ve been fortunate to have such a cracking first three months that even if the rest of the year bombs we won’t have a bad year,” he said.
And although the weather has cooled, orders have not.
“We’re not seeing anything that’s causing us any concern at the moment,” said a contact. “In the last week we’ve still seen strong orders relative to [customers’] sales going out. It’s a reflection that people want stocks on the ground, which shows confidence in the market.”
Landscaping weather
And, he added, although the lower temperatures may be keeping some people indoors, it was ideal weather for landscapers.
“Some of the trade outlets we talk to say there’s been strong demand for landscaping. If it gets too warm people won’t do the major jobs,” he said.
Now manufacturers are hoping the barometer will rise enough to encourage consumers into their gardens but the upcoming bank holidays offer mixed fortunes.
“I think the impact depends on the outlet,” said a manufacturer. “The trade or merchant side probably doesn’t welcome it because they won’t be open for business and tradesmen don’t work over the bank holiday, but retailers should get the footfall if the weather’s good.”
But as for the summer of sport that is to follow, another manufacturer was sure it would have a detrimental effect.
“All the lads will be down he pub,” he said. “We expect demand will probably suffer as a result but we always have a contingency plan. If we exit spring with too much stock and the Olympics ahead of us, we just won’t order much for July and August.
“It’s less of a problem of where we are now but where we’re going to be. We don’t want to carry too much stock into winter.”
Fence post failures
As well as the weather, an ongoing issue for the fencing sector is the failure of fence posts treated to User Class 4.
A Fencing Contractors Association spokesperson said the problem was undermining customers’ confidence in timber posts and warned that it could lead to expensive litigation claims.
“There could be big battles between timber suppliers and contractors as to how much the contractor is expected to bear. The supplier inevitably agrees to replace the timber but for the contractor it’s a much more onerous job doing the remedial work,” said the spokesperson.
The problem is solely with timber treated to User Class 4 (in-ground contact) and the only way to reassure customers was to specify Highways Sector Scheme 4 material which has a 30-year guarantee.
“It does cost more but if it’s sold to the end user as having a 30-year life I’m sure they’d appreciate the extra expense for less inconvenience and a better quality product.”
Many fencing manufacturers agree that there is a problem which must be addressed. “This is an issue the industry needs to confront,” one told TTJ.
