BHETA ECONOMIC SNAPSHOT DON’T BELIEVE ALL YOU READ...


The British Home Enhancement Trade Association presents the latest facts and figures and what they mean for the home improvement industry...


BHETA DIY sector director Paul Grinsell says, “Following positive Christmas results for many retailers, warnings of bad times to come still proliferate. Quoting the Telegraph, ‘Even after a bumper results season, shops big and small must keep luring in customers if they are to absorb a host of looming cost rises…’ While many of us will be thankful for the bumper Christmas yet still concerned about the future, one significant


but debate is the


unremarked-upon factor in all this


surprisingly remarkable


inconsistency of the data on which we are all relying.


“Reviews of the ‘Christmas retail period’ are assumed by many


to be roughly from Black Friday through to the end of the January sales, but retail reporting as quoted by the media is widely different form this. In terms of timescales we are actually faced with periods of four weeks, two months, three months and even in one retailer’s case 49 weeks! We also see some very


variable interpretations of


comparable figures. In some cases, retailers report on year on year… Within that, some report like-for- like sales while include new stores within their comparison. The latter is likely, of course, to see an upturn regardless of any general trend. “In the post-Brexit era, everyone is inevitably speculating about the


ultimate outcome, so it would be extremely helpful if the data which we use to verify our thinking is consistent and therefore worthy of realistic comparisons. “I realise this is a challenge – all businesses are at liberty to report according to their own accounting policies – but it


is difficult to


draw real conclusions from the mass of reporting as it is. So, this is a plea for greater clarity. This would be beneficial at any time, but in this extraordinarily speculative era, surely some kind of standardisation is essential.”


CPI December 2016


The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose by 1.6% in the year to December 2016, compared with a 1.2% rise in the year to November. The rate in December was the highest since July 2014, when it was also 1.6%. Price movements for the majority of the broad groups of goods and services acted to increase the rate between


November 2016 and December 2016. The main contributors to the increase in the rate were rises in air fares and the price of food, along with prices for motor fuels, which fell by less than they did a year ago.


Retail Price Index December 2016 The RPI 12-month rate for December 2016 stood at 2.5%, meaning that it was 0.7% higher than it would have been had it used formulae that meet international standards.


Retail Sales December 2016 According to the ONS, estimates of the quantity bought in retail sales increased by 4.3% compared with December 2015 and fell by 1.9% compared with November 2016. The largest


contribution to the


month-on-month fall came from non-food stores. The underlying trend remains one of growth with the three month on three month movement in the quantity bought increasing by 1.2%.


PRODUCT NEWS


ABUS is introducing new Door Closers, a product designed to provide a convenient and safe solution for shutting doors quietly and securely. The AC4223 is suitable for room doors up to 65 kg and a maximum width of 950mm. RRP £30.00 excl. VAT. The AC7023 is suitable for office doors, front doors to flats and entrance doors up to 85kg and a maximum door width of 1100mm. RRP £60.00 excl. VAT. The AC7124 is suitable for office and entrance doors and for public buildings between 45 and 85kg and a maximum door width of 1250mm. RRP £85.00 excl. VAT. The AC7303 is suitable for office doors, front doors to flats and fire protection doors, maximum door weight of 60kg and maximum door width of 950mm. RRP £105.00 excl. VAT. n 01172 047000 n sales@abus-uk.com n www.abus.com


SX Instant Paintable Caulk is a new sealant developed by SIROFLEX which can be instantly over-painted. SX Instant Paintable Caulk has been designed to save the user time, money and effort. It is easy to apply, dries quickly and can be painted over immediately with water-based and synthetic paints. It has also been designed to adhere perfectly without the use of a primer to most surfaces. Siroflex says its new product has a low odour, does not discolour paint and is not corrosive towards metals. It can also be used for the sealing and filling of gaps and cracks where movement occurs, such as between plasterwork and window frames, door frames, skirting boards, windowsills and architraves. n 01226 771600 n www.siroflex.co.uk


Stripping paint and varnish from surfaces can be a difficult and laborious task, requiring time, patience and a lot of elbow grease. EVERBUILD – A Sika Company – now has the answer to this age old problem with the arrival of Paint Away, the ultimate paint and varnish stripper. The new triple strength, non-drip formula of Paint Away can remove up to three layers of paint or varnish from masonry, wood, metals and most common building substrates in just one easy and fast application. Simply brush the gel on to the painted area, leave for 20 minutes and watch as the paint begins to blister and crack, before scraping the area to fully remove. n 01132 402424 n www.everbuild.co.uk


www.diyweek.net


ABUS CodeLoxx was recently discovered by Your Secure Locksmiths of Nottingham, with English/German partner Jake Theisen impressed with the product’s ease of use, security offering and suitability for his customers. He then ordered them for his own premises from ABUS Germany. A customer with a block of flats visited the business and fell in love with CodeLoxx, recognising the flexibility and combined security on offer, and decided the product should be fitted to every flat when vacant. Now each time a new flat without CodeLoxx becomes empty, one is ordered and fitted straight away. The product has an easy to use, adjustable modular designe and the option to use an electronic key tag or code entry system with possible audit trail. n 01172 047000 n sales@abus-uk.com n www.abus.com


3 FEBRUARY 2017 DIY WEEK 5


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