Merchant sales decline but kitchens and bathrooms among best categories

Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) revealed total value sales down year-on-year in April, but Kitchens & Bathrooms among best performing categories.

29 Jun, 22

Despite the Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) report revealing total value sales down year-on-year in April, showing the first decline since January 2021, Kitchens & Bathrooms was among best performing categories.

Kitchens and bathrooms outperform merchant sales

On a year-on-year basis total value sales were -0.9% down in April 2022, compared to the same month in 2021.

Price inflation of +17.0% helped to mitigate the month’s 15.3% drop in volume sales, compared to April 2021.

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Six categories outperformed merchants overall value sales, with Kitchens & Bathrooms showing the greatest growth of 15.8% and Plumbing, Heating & Electrical up 6.7%.

Compared to April 2019, a pre-pandemic year, total merchant value sales were 21.0% higher.

All categories sold more, with growth of 27.5% driven by price inflation rather than volume, which was down 5.1%.

Landscaping grew 40.3% and Timber & Joinery Products showed an increase of 34.1%, while Kitchens & Bathrooms sales grew more slowly over this period, up 14.3%.

Over the three months from February to April 2022 total sales were 9.3% up on the same period last year with one less trading day in the most recent period.

All categories sold more bar Landscaping, with Kitchens & Bathrooms growing the most, up 22.1%.

According to the BMBI, British builders merchants clocked up a bumper quarter in sales in Q1 2022, with the highest ever total sales in the history of the Builders Merchants’ Building Index (BMBI).

While month-on-month total merchant sales were 10.5% down in April 2022 compared to March 2022, with four less trading days.

All bar categories, bar landscaping, sold less, including Kitchens & Bathrooms which was down 13.0%.