The latest figures from the Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI), published in September, reveal that builders’ merchants’ year-on-year value sales were 14.5% higher in July 2021 than the same month last year, with two fewer trading days. Average daily sales in July climbed 25.5%.

Total merchants value sales over the 12 month period were helped by timber and joinery products (+42.4%) recording its highest ever monthly sales since the BMBI report began. Plumbing, heating and electrical (+10.4%) and heavy building materials (+8.9%) also performed well compared to the same month a year ago.

Compared to July 2019, a more normal pre-pandemic year, total merchants sales in July 2021 were up 13.1%, with two fewer trading years this year. Much of this growth was driven by just two categories – timber and joinery (+44.6%) and landscaping (+23.4%).

Last three months

Total value sales in May to July 2021 were 35.4% higher than the same three months in 2020, with two fewer trading days this year. Timber and joinery products led the field (+64.8%). Total sales were also up on the same three months of 2019 (+17.3%).

Month-on-month

After a bumper June, total merchants sales in July were 3.8% lower month-on-month, with one fewer trading day in July. Kitchens and bathrooms increased marginally (+1.1%), while timber and joinery products was flat (+0.1%). Other categories sold less than the previous month including heavy building materials (-4.2%) and landscaping (-12.9%).

Index

July’s BMBI index was 151.1 with strong performances from landscaping (204.8) and timber and joinery products (199.8). Seven other categories exceeded 100.

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The Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI)

The BMBI is a brand of the BMF. The BMBI report, which is produced and managed by MRA Research, uses GfK’s Builders Merchant Point of Sale Tracking Data which analyses sales out data from over 80% of generalist builders’ merchants’ sales across Great Britain. The full report is on www.bmbi.co.uk.