BSS says government spending was helping to counteract commercial dip as eight more PTS branches are opened.

Plumbing and heating merchant BSS Group has announced that its pre-tax profits for the six months ending 30 September 2004 will be well ahead of last year’s results

In a trading statement BBS said that the strength of the refurbishment market was helping to fuel strong sales. It said that the government social spending had helped fend of the negative affects of a sluggish commercial market.

BSS announced that it had opened a further eight PTS plumbers' merchants during the first six months of the year and it was aiming to have 200 branches by March 2005.

The Group said that it expected full year profits up to March 2005 to be slightly ahead of the Board’s expectation.