Construction output tumbles as builders hit by surging costs and red tape Economics The UK’s construction sector suffered a sharp fall in activity last month, as the Iran war batters confidence and drives up prices. S&P Global’s monthly construction index for the UK dropped to 39.7 in April, down from 45.6 in March. Builders are beginning to suffer from rising material costs caused by the blockage to the [...]
MJ Gleeson warns building cost inflation prompting ‘high caution’ Property Housebuilder MJ Gleeson has sounded the alarm over building cost inflation, prompting “higher than usual caution” over its finances. The London-listed firm said on Friday: “We have recently seen some softening in footfall and reservations, and limited increases in the cost of some materials.” The effective blockade to the Strait of Hormuz caused by the [...]
Persimmon: Housebuilder sounds alarm over building cost inflation Property Leading housebuilder Persimmon has sounded the alarm over rising supply costs due to the Iran war as demand begins to soften. The housebuilder, one of the UK’s largest, said on Thursday it is beginning to see inflation in its supply chain, which it said could impact its finances as soon as the second half of [...]
Housebuilding stocks recover as industry reaches ‘rock bottom’ April 15, 2026 The UK’s biggest housebuilder kept to the well-rehearsed tone of gloom which has loomed over the sector in recent months, when it became the latest to pull back on spending amid the market uncertainty caused by the Iran war. FTSE 100 firm Barratt Redrow said its financial targets hold firm, but warned that the blockage [...]
Travis Perkins: New CEO named after torrid year and FTSE 250 shares slump May 9, 2025 The man chosen to lead an almighty rebuilding project at construction supplies giant Travis Perkins has been named. Gavin Slark has been picked as the Northamptonshire-headquartered company’s new chief executive and is set to take up his role no later than 1 January, 2026. Slark has held the same position at SIG since 2023 and [...]
Tarmac: Building materials group sheds jobs as turnover hits £2bn October 17, 2024 Turnover at building materials group Tarmac hit £2bn during its latest financial year as its profit jumped, it has been revealed. The Solihull-headquartered company’s increased sales in 2023 come after its turnover stood at £1.99bn in 2022. Newly-filed accounts with Companies House also show its pre-tax profit improved from £125.9m to £168.1m over the same [...]
Epwin expects demand for building products to ‘remain subdued’ in 2024 September 11, 2024 Building products supplier Epwin has posted a slide in revenue for the first half of 2024 and said demand would likely "remain subdued" through the rest of the year.
Grenfell: Firms involved to be barred from public contracts, Starmer vows September 4, 2024 Companies involved in the failings that led to the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy will no longer be awarded government contracts, Sir Keir Starmer has said. The Prime Minister apologised for the disaster – which saw 72 people die in the tower block blaze in June 2017 – in a grave statement to the House of [...]
Ibstock profit slashed as ‘exceptionally wet weather’ hits construction industry August 7, 2024 Sales and profit at building supplies company Ibstock has continued to fall as “exceptionally wet weather” badly affected the construction industry. The London-listed firm, which is headquartered in Leicestershire, saw its revenue drop 20 per cent to £178m in the first six months of 2024, down from £223m last year. Ibstock said this decrease was [...]
Sig profit plummets as cracks show in European flooring market August 6, 2024 Sig said its performance reflected "challenging conditions" in the UK Interiors market, where it designs anything from ceilings to raised access flooring.