BMBI: A -0.6% Fall in July Merchant Value Sales Y-on-Y But Volumes Drop -7.6%

The latest Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) report, published in September, shows July 2026’s total like-for-like value sales (adjusted to remove the effect of trading days) were -0.6% lower than July 2025. Like-for-like volume sales were down -7.6% year-on-year.

With no difference in trading days, July’s unadjusted value sales were also -0.6% lower compared to the same month in 2025. Volumes were down -7.6% and prices increased +7.6%. By value, half of the twelve categories sold more with Workwear & Safetywear (+18.5%) and Services (+7.7%) the standout categories. Plumbing, Heating & Electrical (-4.6%), Tools (-2.5%) and Renewables & Water Saving (-2.4%) were down, with both the largest categories, Timber & Joinery Products (-0.7%) and Heavy Building Materials (-2.6%) selling less.

In the three months May to July, like-for-like value sales were -1.2% lower than the same three-month period in 2025. Like-for-like volume sales were down -8.0% and prices increased +7.4%. With no difference in trading days, unadjusted value sales were also down

-1.2%, with volumes decreasing -8.0% and prices increasing +7.4%. By value, only four categories sold more, led by Workwear & Safetywear (+12.5%) and Services (+7.6%). Of the two largest categories, Timber & Joinery Products (-0.7%) fell less than Total Builders Merchants, while Heavy Building Materials (-2.8%) fell more. Renewables & Water Saving(-4.7%) was the weakest category.

In the 12 months August 2025 to July 2026, like-for-like value sales were down -1.5% compared to the previous 12-month period (August 2024 to July 2025). With no difference in trading days, unadjusted value sales were also -1.5% lower year-on-year, while volume sales declined -5.0% and prices rose +3.7%. By value, seven categories sold more, with Renewables & Water Saving (+7.2%) performing best. Of the two largest categories, Timber and Joinery Products grew +0.8% while Heavy Building Materials slipped -3.8% and was weakest overall.

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In the year to date (January to July), like-for-like value sales were -1.9% lower than the first seven months of 2025. Like-for-like volume sales were down -7.4 % and prices were up +5.9%. With no difference in trading days, unadjusted value sales were also down -1.9%, as volumes fell -7.4% and prices increased +5.9%. By total unadjusted value, six categories sold more with Workwear & Safetywear (+7.8%) growing the most. Timber & Joinery Products (+0.2%) performed better than Total Builders Merchants, while Heavy Building Material (-4.3%) was the weakest category again.

Mike Rigby, Managing Director of MRA Research which produces the BMBI report said “It will have come as a shock to no-one in the construction industry to hear Housing Secretary Angela Rayner recently confirm that there was only a ‘slim chance’ the government would deliver on its pledge to deliver 1.5 million homes during its 5-year term.

“While adding that she was not giving up completely on the ‘stretch target’, even the Government’s new – still undefined – plan to boost social and affordable housing construction is unlikely to bring the number of new dwellings even close to hitting 300,000 a year. Savill’s latest predictions put new home completions closer to an average of 167,500 a year up to 2029/30, a long way short of the mark.

“And there’s not much in the pipeline either. The latest ONS data shows that total construction output grew by +0.1% in July, marginally bucking the trend of decreases in June (-0.1%) and May (-0.8%). This was driven by repair and maintenance (+0.8%) as new work fell by -0.4%. The main contributor to the decrease in new work – private housing – was down -4.9%.

“With the budget barely a month away, and the Government tight lipped about its content after 2025’s ill-fated December budget, it’s difficult to know whether John Healey’s red box will contain any rescue lines for housebuilding. The industry is calling for a raft of support – like what has already been put in motion for hospitality – to try and get Britain building, and people buying and moving again. Will the SOS be heard?”

Download the full report here.

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