April Merchant sales drift down as volumes fall -3.5% year-on-year

The latest Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) report, published in June, shows April’s total like-for-like value sales (adjusted to remove the effect of trading days) were -0.6% lower than the same month in 2025. Like-for-like volume sales were down -3.5% with prices up +3.0%.

With no difference in trading days, total unadjusted value sales were also -0.6% lower, with volumes down -3.5%. By value, just three of the twelve categories sold more: Services (+7.0%), Timber & Joinery (+1.6%) and Miscelllaneous (+0.2%). Renewables & Water Saving (-6.6%), Workwear & Safetywear (-4.6%) and Heavy Building Materials (-1.9%) saw the largest declines.

Download and read the report here: Download the BMBI Q1 & March 2026 Report