The latest BMF Builders Merchants Building Index (BMBI) shows that sales revenue (takings) in March 2025 were 14.9% higher than February 2025 and 7.2% higher than March 2024.
With prices falling by 1.8% in March, volumes increased 17.0% month-on-month.
It was enough to lift the first quarter back to growth – the first quarter-on-quarter increase for more than two years.
Takings in Q1 2025 were 5.2% higher than in the previous three months and 0.9% up on the same period in 2024. Volumes increased by 3.9% on the quarter, while prices fell by 2.9%.
Builders Merchants Federation chief executive John Newcomb said: “A positive view of the first quarter of 2025 may suggest a market poised on the brink of an upturn, yet the outcome for the rest of the year remains uncertain. While we would like to remain optimistic that the brighter picture emerging in March will continue, much will depend on the return of consumer confidence; with inflation rising again, this may take some time. It is proving a difficult year to forecast with any accuracy.”
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