Sales, year-on-year
Sales were down year-on-year, with a net 24% of merchants reporting a decrease in the last three months compared with the same period of 2009 (Chart 2). Mid-sized companies (36%) and small firms (17%) reported lower sales whereas large merchants were unchanged. More businesses in the South (36%) reported weaker sales than those in other regions (14%).
A net 26% of timber merchants and 16% of builders’ merchants sold less. Sales were lower for independents (32%) than for national and local chains (16%).
In the last three months (January to March), 97% of all fire doors sold by merchants had a 30-minute fire resistance. The remaining 3% were 60-minute fire-rated doors.
