Kitchen and bathroom sales through builders merchants were up 4.6% in February compared with 2017, according to data released by the Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI).
Sales of kitchen and bathrooms grew continuously throughout 2017, including a 5.3% rise in January.
In February, overall the builders’ merchant sector was up 4% compared with last the same month year, while for the year to date sales were up by 6.1%.
The data also saw other merchants increase their sales. Growth was most strong in plumbing, heating and electrical (7.9%), timber and joinery products (6.6%) and ironmongery (5%). The tools sector was the only one to lose sales – down by 1.6%.
The data tracks builders merchants sales using GfK’s Builders Merchants Point of Sale Tracking data, which represents more than 80% of the merchant market.