Builders and Plumbers Merchants Market Report – UK 2019-2023
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The report provides an informed and up-to-date review of the builders and plumbers merchants’ market. With over 80 pages, it addresses the market size and structure, key market drivers and key companies.
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The 16th edition of the Builders and Plumbers Merchants Market Report – UK 2019-2023 provides an informed and up-to-date review of this influential market and addresses the market size and structure, key market drivers, key companies, product mix and ongoing changes in the supply chain driven by factors such as technology.
Key issues covered in the report:
- Detailed assessment of the market – analysis of the market size, structure and recent developments in the market in the light of a strengthened building and construction industry.
- Market forecasts to 2023.
- Assessment of key influences – market size, influencing market factors, key players and customer groups.
- Market analysis – key characteristics of market, SWOT etc.
- Analysis by product group – market size, product mix, sector trends and merchants market share.
Areas of particular interest include:
- Analysis of market size; comprehensive review of key factors/trends influencing the market.
- Market performance to 2018 and forecasts through to 2023.
- Review of leading national players and other important regional companies.
- Product group analysis – market sizes, influences, trends and merchant shares.
- Identification of key customer groups in merchant market.
Some of the companies included:
Travis Perkins, Wolseley, Saint-Gobain, Grafton, Screwfix, Wickes, Toolstation, Amazon, Wilkos, Benchmarx, City Plumbing Supplies, City Heating Spares, Plumbing Trade Supplies, Primaflow F&P, Tile Giant, Jewson, International Timber, Ceramic Tiles Distributors (CTD), Kingfisher Group, B&Q, Barratt, Persimmon, Taylor Wimpey, David Wilson Homes, Charles Church, Westbury Partnership, Manchester Town Hall, Liberty Gas Group, Swale Heating, Ariston Thermo Group, Zip Heaters, Quooker, Airtech, Fläktgroup UK, EnviroVent, Airflow Developments, Daikin, Toshiba Carrier, Mitsubishi Electric, Fujitsu General, Johnson Controls-Hitachi, Trane UK, International Timber, Gibbs & Dandy, Calders & Grandidge, Pasquill, Huws Gray, Howdens Joinery Ltd, Moores Furniture Group Ltd, Omega plc, Wren Living Ltd.
The Merchants
- National merchants – turnover, company structure, recent performance, market share.
- Regional merchants – key players, turnover, main product areas and branch numbers.
- Buying groups – identification of the main groups and sector consolidation.
- Merchants characteristics – product ranges, profitability, debtors, turnover per employee.
- Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the merchant sector.
Builders and Plumbers Merchants Market
- The merchants market – key characteristics of the market, analysis by value from 2014-2023, drivers, insight, market intelligence, trends and forecasts to 2023.
- Dominance of the national merchants – market mix by merchants type (nationals, regionals & locals).
- Market trends and major factors influencing market development – growth of online purchasing, ‘click & collect’ etc.
- Identification of merchant’s main customers.
- Product pricing trends in the industry.
- Review of market structure – lightside and heavyside product distribution.
- Merchants share of overall construction output.
- Merchants share by each product group.
Products and Suppliers
- Product group reviewed – plumbing & drainage, heating & ventilation, bricks, blocks, clay & concrete products, cement & plaster materials, timber & timber products, kitchen furniture & appliances, roofing & insulation, decorating materials and ironmongery & miscellaneous.
- Product mix for builders and plumbers merchants.
- Analysis by product group – market size 2014-2018 and product mix within each sector. Review of products including recent major trends and key factors affecting the sub-sector.
Future Prospects
- Forecast of expected market development – short term prospects and medium term prospects through to 2023.
- Positive and negative factors affecting the market – UK economic trends; residential & non-domestic construction levels, public and private sector performance.
- Outlook for the builders and plumbers merchants’ market through to 2023 and key drivers.
It is estimated that the builders and plumbers merchants’ market will see growth of 2% in 2019, compared with 2018, in value terms. The end use sectors of the merchants’ market have fared differently reflecting each sectors’ construction performance. However, most end-use sectors have experienced growth since 2016, stimulating demand for merchants’ products, with key sectors including housebuilding, offices, infrastructure, industrial and education.
The merchants, which are dominated by a group of 5 organisations, remain an important distribution channel in the overall construction market. However, the merchants’ market has undergone some significant structural changes, with many national operations consolidating and restructuring to streamline and enhance multi-channel offerings, and the regional sector has expanded branch networks.
Competition from other channels, particularly the internet and home improvement multiples, continues to impact on the market. However, merchants appear to have outperformed home improvement multiples in recent years and their expansion into e-commerce has offset some of the movement towards internet-only distributors.
Prospects for the merchants’ market remain optimistic, although more constrained than in recent years. The UK’s need for greater numbers of new dwellings has long been recognised and is now a significant focus of Government policy, with a target of building 300,000 new homes a year by 2020. Other factors likely to affect the merchants market include the cost of fuel and energy.
Contents Listing
1. INTRODUCTION 7
1.1 INTRODUCTION 7
1.2 SOURCES OF INFORMATION 7
2. SUMMARY & MARKET PROSPECTS 9
2.1 SUMMARY 9
2.2 MARKET PROSPECTS 10
3. ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT 11
3.1 OVERVIEW AND OUTLOOK 11
3.2 KEY DATA 12
3.2.1 GDP 12
3.2.2 Inflation & Interest Rates 12
3.2.3 Employment & Wages 13
3.2.4 Household Consumption 15
3.2.5 Sterling 15
4. THE BUILDERS AND PLUMBERS’ MERCHANTS MARKET 17
4.1 DEFINITION 17
4.2 PRODUCTS 17
4.2.1 Product Range 18
4.3 MARKET STRUCTURE 18
4.3.1 Lightside Product Distribution 21
4.3.2 Heavyside Product Distribution 22
4.3.3 Buying Groups 22
4.4 MARKET SIZE 24
4.4.1 Market Prospects 26
4.5 MERCHANTS’ SHARE OF CONSTRUCTION OUTPUT 28
4.6 BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION MARKET INFLUENCES 29
4.6.1 Non-Residential Construction Market 29
4.6.2 The Housing Market 31
5. THE BUILDERS & PLUMBERS MERCHANTS 32
5.1 MARKET SHARE 32
5.2 MERCHANT COMPANY PROFILES 34
5.2.1 National Merchants 34
5.2.2 Large Regional Merchants 41
5.2.3 Medium & Small Size Regionals 43
5.2.4 Local Merchants 46
5.3 CHARACTERISTICS OF BUILDERS & PLUMBERS’ MERCHANTS 46
5.3.1 Profitability 46
5.3.2 Debtors 47
5.3.3 Turnover Per Employee 48
5.3.4 Pricing and Prices 48
5.4 MERCHANTS’ MARKET – SWOT ANALYSIS 49
5.5 MERCHANTS’ COMPETITORS 51
6. MERCHANTS’ CUSTOMERS 52
6.1 BUILDERS 52
6.1.1 Housebuilders/General Builders 52
6.1.2 Commercial Construction 54
6.1.3 Civil Engineering 55
6.2 PLUMBING & HEATING CONTRACTORS 56
6.3 MECHANICAL & ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS 58
6.4 OTHER CUSTOMERS 59
7. PRODUCTS 60
7.1 PRODUCT MIX 60
7.2 MERCHANT SHARES BY PRODUCT 61
7.3 PRODUCT TRENDS 61
7.3.1 Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning (HVAC) 61
7.3.2 Timber & Glazing 64
7.3.3 Bricks, Blocks, Building Envelopes and Concrete (BBBEC) 67
7.3.4 Cement & Plaster 69
7.3.5 Domestic Kitchens 70
7.3.6 Plumbing and Drainage 72
7.3.7 Bathrooms 72
7.3.8 Roofing & Insulation 74
7.3.9 Decorating 75
7.3.10 Other Products 77
Tables & Charts
CHART 1: UK BUILDERS AND PLUMBERS’ MERCHANTS’ MARKET 2014 TO 2023 – BY VALUE (£BN MERCHSP) 9
CHART 2: GDP DATA – 2015-2019 – KEY CONSTITUENT ELEMENTS 12
CHART 3: CPI INFLATION AND BANK OF ENGLAND BASE RATE, 2008-2023 13
CHART 4: AVERAGE WEEKLY EARNINGS DATA – GB – TOTAL PAY – 2014-2019 (SEASONALLY ADJUSTED) 14
CHART 5: PDI & SAVINGS RATIO AT CURRENT PRICES 2008-2023 15
CHART 6: EXCHANGE RATE FLUCTUATIONS 2015-2021 – STERLING TO THE DOLLAR, AND THE EURO, SPOT RATES 16
TABLE 7: PRODUCT CATEGORY DEFINITIONS 18
CHART 8: BUILDING PRODUCTS DISTRIBUTION STRUCTURE 19
TABLE 9: UK BUILDERS & PLUMBERS MERCHANTS’ MARKET 2014 TO 2023 – BY VALUE (£M MERCHSP) 24
CHART 10: GROWTH FORECASTS OF END-USE SECTORS OF MERCHANTS’ MARKET, 2018-2023 27
TABLE 11: MERCHANTS’ SHARE OF UK CONSTRUCTION OUTPUT 2014 TO 2019 (£BN) 28
CHART 12: NON-DOMESTIC CONSTRUCTION OUTPUT (GREAT BRITAIN) NEW WORK & RMI – CURRENT PRICES (£BN) 2014 -2023 29
CHART 13: NON-RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION OUTPUT NEW WORK BY SECTOR 2018 AND 2023 – % BY VALUE GB 30
TABLE 14: HOUSE BUILDING STARTS & COMPLETIONS (UK) 2014 TO 2023 – BY VOLUME (DWELLINGS) 31
CHART 15: MERCHANTS BY TURNOVER – 2016 & 2018 32
CHART 16: MIX OF MERCHANTS BY TYPE (NATIONAL, REGIONAL, LOCAL) 2018 33
CHART 17: LEADING MERCHANTS’ MARKET SHARES 2018 33
TABLE 18: KEY INDICATORS UK BUILDERS MERCHANTS’ MARKET – TRAVIS PERKINS 36
TABLE 19: KEY INDICATORS UK BUILDERS MERCHANTS’ MARKET – WOLSELEY UK 37
TABLE 20: KEY INDICATORS UK BUILDERS MERCHANTS’ MARKET – SAINT GOBAIN BUILDING DISTRIBUTION (JEWSON) 38
TABLE 21: KEY INDICATORS UK BUILDERS’ MERCHANT MARKET – BUILDBASE & SELCO 40
TABLE 22: KEY INDICATORS UK BUILDERS’ MERCHANT MARKET – SCREWFIX 41
TABLE 23: LEADING SMALLER REGIONAL MERCHANT COMPANIES 2017/18 45
TABLE 24: MERCHANTS’ PROFITABILITY 2012 TO 2018 46
TABLE 25: MERCHANTS’ DEBTORS LEVELS 2012 TO 2018 47
TABLE 26: MERCHANTS’ TURNOVER PER EMPLOYEE 2012 TO 2018 48
TABLE 27: PERCENTAGE CHANGE OF PRICE INDICES OF CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS 2014-2018 (2010 = 100) 49
TABLE 28: PERCENTAGE CHANGE OF PRICE INDICES OF CONSTRUCTION WORK 2015-2019 (2015 = 100) 49
TABLE 29: MERCHANTS’ MARKET SWOT ANALYSIS 50
CHART 30: DIY MULTIPLES & BUILDERS’ MERCHANTS SALES 2012-2018 (INDEX 2012=100) 51
TABLE 31: ENTERPRISES REGISTERED FOR VAT INVOLVED IN CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS BY TURNOVER BAND 2014 & 2018 52
TABLE 32: PLUMBING, HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING INSTALLERS REGISTERED FOR VAT BY TURNOVER BAND 2014 AND 2018 56
TABLE 33: UK ENTERPRISES REGISTERED FOR VAT INVOLVED IN MEP ACTIVITIES BY EMPLOYMENT SIZE BAND – 2018 58
CHART 34: PRODUCT MIX – BUILDERS AND PLUMBERS’ MERCHANTS 2018 60
TABLE 35: MERCHANTS’ SHARE OF MARKET SECTORS 2018 (£M MERCH SP) 61
CHART 36: THE HEATING VENTILATION & AIR CONDITIONING MARKET 2014 TO 2023 BY VALUE (£M MERCHSP) 62
CHART 37: PRODUCT MIX HEATING, VENTILATION & AIR CONDITIONING PRODUCTS 2018 – % BY VALUE 64
CHART 38: UK MARKET FOR TIMBER & GLAZING PRODUCTS 2014 TO 2023 – BY VALUE (£M MERCHSP) 65
CHART 39: PRODUCT MIX TIMBER & GLAZING PRODUCTS 2018 – % BY VALUE 65
CHART 40: UK MARKET FOR BRICKS, BLOCKS, BUILDING ENVELOPE & CONCRETE 2014 TO 2023 (£M MERCHSP) 68
CHART 41: UK MARKET FOR CEMENT & PLASTER 2014 TO 2023 – BY VALUE (£M MERCHSP) 69
CHART 42: UK MARKET FOR DOMESTIC KITCHENS 2014 TO 2023 – BY VALUE (£M MERCHSP) 70
CHART 43: UK MARKET FOR PLUMBING & DRAINAGE 2014 TO 2023 – BY VALUE (£M MERCHSP) 72
CHART 44: UK MARKET FOR BATHROOM PRODUCTS 2014 TO 2023 – BY VALUE (£M MERCHSP) 73
CHART 45: UK MARKET FOR ROOFING & INSULATION 2014 TO 2023 – BY VALUE (£M MERCHSP) 74
CHART 46: UK MARKET FOR DECORATING MATERIALS 2014 TO 2023 – BY VALUE (£M MERCHSP) 75
CHART 47: PRODUCT MIX FOR ‘OTHER’ PRODUCTS 2018 – % BY VALUE 77
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