NEW figures from the May Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) revealed a ‘sharp rise’ in sales, as lockdown restrictions started to ease and trades returned to work.
Year-on-year, total builders’ merchants value sales in May were down 39.9% compared with the same period last year, with many merchant branches still operating a restricted service. However, the overall trading figures are a significant improvement on April, when sales were down 76.3%.
Heavy building materials, the largest product category, was down 39% year-on-year but showed a substantial improvement on April – up by 157.6%.
