Kitchens & Bathrooms sales in Q1 2025 were up 3.5% on the previous three month period, according to the Builders Merchants Building Index (BMBI).

Published in May, the Index reported merchant value sales for Q1 2025 were 5.2% higher than the previous three-month period (October to December 2024).

Eleven of twelve merchant categories sold more, with seasonal category Landscaping growing the most by 14.1% whereas Kitchens & Bathrooms grew more slowly at 3.5%.

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With two more trading days in the most recent period, like-for-like value sales were 1.9% higher than the previous quarter.

Volume sales increased 5.8%, while there was a drop in prices of 0.5%.

Total merchant value sales for Q1 remained stable against Q1 2024, up just 0.9%.

There was no difference in trading days, however, volume sales rose 3.9%, while prices fell 2.9%.

The majority of categories sold more in Q1 2025 compared to the same quarter a year before.

However Kitchens & Bathrooms were stable with a dip of 2.7% in Q1 2025 compared to Q1 2024.

Total value sales for April 2024 to March 2025 were 2.2% lower than the same 12-month period a year earlier, but Kitchens & Bathrooms slipped 2.9%.

With four more trading days this year, like-for-like value sales were down 3.8%.

Volume sales slipped 1.4% compared to the previous 12 months and prices were down 0.8%.

Mike Rigby, MD of MRA Research which produces the BMBI Index said: “To say it’s been a tempestuous start to the year would be an understatement, as the world struggles to adapt to the latest instalment in Donald Trump’s tariff war.

“Even if the tariff situation is resolved quickly, a certain amount of disruption to supply chains and increased production costs is baked in.

“The cumulative impact on uncertainty, consumer confidence and on RMI and property will probably take longer to recover.

“But there was an improvement in all five key indicators in GfK’s Consumer Confidence Index which improved by three points to -20 in May.

“All measures were up compared to April, and expectations for the general economic situation over the next 12 months improved four points to -33.

“The measure for personal finance expectations in the next 12 months moved out of negative territory, increasing by five points to +2.

“And importantly, there was a three-point rise in the major purchases index for big-ticket items such as kitchens and bathrooms.

“Was it the Bank of England’s quarter-point base-rate cut, or wages rising faster than prices and more interest rate cuts to come that made the difference, or the public’s animal spirits responding to better weather?”