Trading updates from Ibstock and Travis Perkins say volumes fell in first quarter

Brickwork firm Ibstock said wet weather and the ongoing subdued housing market sent the amount of bricks it sold in the first three months of the year to a level below what it had been expecting.

In a trading update this morning, the firm said: “Sales volumes were below our expectations, with weaker end market demand in part reflecting the exceptionally wet weather experienced across the UK during the early months of the year.”

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Source: Shutterstock

Wet weather has hit sites in the first three months of this year

But it said earnings for the first quarter were in line with expectations, adding that it expected activity to pick up later this year.

Meanwhile, materials supplier Travis Perkins, which is looking for a new chief executive after announcing last month Nick Roberts was leaving, said group revenue in the first quarter was down 3.7% on the same period last time, adding that “macroeconomic uncertainty continues to impact demand across the construction sector”.

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