Since 2020, Travis Perkins plc has conducted an extensive survey each quarter of tradespeople in the repair, maintenance and improvement (RMI) sector to “collect insights on near term outlook, workload, material purchases and other trends.”
A total of 863 tradespeople from the UK responded to the latest survey, carried out in April, with customers of Travis Perkins, Keyline and Toolstation all represented. The insights in this report – which feature plenty of direct comments from the respondents themselves – are said to “help to broaden the understanding of RMI customers, as they look to navigate an evolving construction landscape” both for the Travis Perkins group itself and also as a useful barometer for the merchant industry at large.
Key findings from the latest report, the sixth in the series, include:
Optimistic near term outlook
The majority of respondents are said to remain optimistic about the near term industry outlook, with 92% of tradespeople expecting workloads to increase or remain unchanged in the coming months. This level of confidence has strengthened, increasing 14% from the 78% figure recorded in the November 2022 RMI Index Report.
The optimism in workloads is further reflected in material purchasing plans, with 93% forecasting that their materials requirements over the next two months will increase or remain the same – up 11% from 82% in the RMI Index Report November 2022.
Concerns about access to training
‘Rising inflation’ has been overtaken by ‘lack of access to training’ as the top reported concern for tradespeople. Other concerns include the cost of green products and initiatives.
In the Executive Summary of the report, Group CEO Nick Roberts said: “We pride ourselves in our role as
partner to the entire construction industry and to do so, we need to understand what it is that makes our
customers tick.
“The RMI Index gives us valuable insight and plays a significant role in expanding our knowledge and understanding of an important market in which we operate.”
Click here to see the full findings of the latest survey, and to view previous reports, via the Travis Perkins plc website.
