COMMENT
Stormy days, but no spendy ways
G
osh, it’s grim out there. Storm Goretti (seriously, who thinks of these names?) did its best in the first week back after the New Year break to flatten, flood or freeze parts of the country. Which, I suppose, does mean that some merchants might see a bit of an uplift replacing fence panels and roof tiles. As Tesco might say, every little helps, as the economic optics are just as grim as the weather. December’s construction PMI may have inched up to 40.1 in December, up from 39.4 in November – a five-and-a-half-year low – but there is still not much to celebrate. The latest reading was the second-lowest since May 2020. We are still in contraction territory, well below the crucial 50 mark, where things are just getting bad less quickly rather than actually improving. That’s been a whole year below 50.
I don’t think this is coming as any kind of surprise to those on the ground or at the trade counter. Though it does always seem to surprise those in Whitehall for some reason. Many of the problems facing construction in 2025 were well known, well flagged, and – crucially – well ignored. High costs, weak demand, fragile balance sheets and a stop-start policy environment have all sapped confidence. December merely adds insult to injury: activity slows to a crawl, cashflow dries up and the weather does what it always does.
What used to be, when I started work back in the Dark Ages, a three-day shutdown between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, is now a fortnight, or even three-week, hiatus in work, orders, and sometimes even emails.
The housing market hasn’t even helped this time round. The customary Budget uncertainty
CONTACTS Builders Merchants Journal
Datateam Business Media London Road Maidstone Kent ME15 8LY Tel: 01622 687031
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net
EDITORIAL
Group Managing Editor: Fiona Russell Horne 01622 699101 07721 841382
frussell-horne@datateam.co.uk
Assistant editor Oliver Stanley 01622 699106
ostanley@datateam.co.uk
Production Controller: Nic Mandeville
ADVERTISING
Group Sales Manager: Dawn Tucker 01622 699148 07934 731232
dtucker@datateam.co.uk
Media Account Executive Morgan Borthwick-Hunter mborthwick-hunter@datateam.
co.uk
01622 699126
Publisher: Paul Ryder
pryder@datateam.co.uk © Datateam Business Media Ltd 2026
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means, electronic or mechanical including photo-copying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without the prior written consent of the publisher. The title Builders Merchants Journal is registered at Stationers’ Hall. Suppliers have contributed towards production costs of some photographs in this issue.
Special Supplement Buying group NBG sets its stall out, building partnerships for the future
January 2026
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net 3
was compounded by its late timing, meaning the usual rush to get things completed by Christmas didn’t happen. Buyers sat on their hands, transactions slowed, and completions stalled, meaning another missed opportunity for a sector that really, really needed a boost. That said, there is some cause for cautious optimism. Not much, but it’s there. Falling interest rates could support a pickup in activity in the first quarter. However, optimism will be in short supply for businesses already operating on a knife-edge. The number of merchants I talk to that tell me they are busy selling, but making wafer-thin margins is a real concern for when things do pick up. January will remain a pressure point, as weak December cash receipts collide with tax bills and other lumpy outgoings. The brighter spots lie outside housebuilding, alas. The government’s decade-long Infrastructure Strategy could be good news, as it has the potential to inject long-term certainty into the sector, unlock investment, and support employment if the ambition is matched by the ability to deliver.
The sector is not out of the woods. It might not even be on the path that leads out of the woods. But the path is there, it will just require some determination and strength to hack through the undergrowth to get to it.
Construction doesn’t need grand promises, it needs fewer surprises, clearer signals and a government that understands that uncertainty is the most damaging thing of all. BMJ
Fiona Russell-Horne Group Managing Editor - BMJ
CIRCULATION
ABC audited average circulation
July 2018-June 2019: 7,801 SUBSCRIPTIONS
UK 1 year: £97 UK, 2 years: £164 Outside UK: one year £113/$204; two years: £196/$353
“ Why now, blow
wind, swell billow, and swim bark!
The storm is up, and all is on the hazard. William Shakespeare
”
CONTENTS 4 Newsround
What’s happening in the sector 8 News Extra
Stelrad heats up its plans for a greener future 10 In person
BMJ talks to Kevin Williams, the new CEO of NMBS.
12 Rising Stars JTD’s Jack Davenport shares his journey so far
13 People Who’s moving where
14 Business Helpdesk The BMF’s latest Sustainability survey 15 Viewpoint
Our guest columnists explore supply and demand
19 Heavyside
Harris & Bailey builds for the future 20 League Tables
The annual benchmarking list of merchant turnovers
22 Transport
Exploring innovations in logistics 24 Workwear
Combining safety and comfort
26 Industry Voice Latest news from the BMF
28 Product News What’s new from suppliers
30 And finally News and the Prize Crossword
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
