TTA has released the results of its regular market survey for Q1 2019.
In addition to retail tile sales and tile adhesive sales, the survey includes tile distributors for the first time. This means it provides a more complete picture of the entire tile market, drawing data from all sectors.
In the adhesive manufacturers’ survey respondents were asked two questions:
1. For the period 1st January – 31st March 2019, are your total tile adhesive sales volume (by weight), in the UK only, up or down, compared to the same period in 2018?
The overall picture was marginally negative, with sales 0.95% down on the same period in 2018.
2. Are you anticipating a figure up or down on the above for the quarter 1st April – 30th June 2019?
When asked to make a projection regarding future sales, most adhesive manufacturers envisaged a more positive outlook, with a projected increase of 4.73%.
In the survey of retailers, respondents were asked the following questions:
1. For the period 1st January – 31st March 2019, are your total sales across all areas of your retail business (tiles, adhesives, ancillaries etc) up or down compared to the same period in 2018?
The overall picture is slightly positive, showing a sales increase of 4.8%, compared with the same period last year.
2. Are you anticipating a figure up or down on the above for the quarter 1st April – 30th June 2019?
When asked to look ahead to the coming months, the view was less positive, with a downward trend of -5% being forecast.
For the first time this quarter TTA distributor members were also asked to participate in the survey.
Distributor respondents were asked two questions:
1.For the period 1st January – 31st March 2019, are your total sales across all areas of your distribution business (tiles, adhesives, ancillaries etc) up or down compared to the same period in 2018?
Looking back at the first quarter of the year, distributors were quite positive, saying their sales were up 4.9% on the same period last year.
2. Are you anticipating a figure up or down on the above for the quarter 1st April – 30th June 2019?
When asked to look ahead, the mood was cautious, with distributor members expecting to see a marginal sales increase of 0.64% during Q2.
“Our quarterly market surveys are now an invaluable source of information about our sector,” says Paul Luff, TTA Chairman. “The addition of data from the distributor sector makes the picture even more complete. We are grateful to our members who contribute and we hope that the whole of the industry gets some benefit from our surveys.”
More detail on the headline data above is available to TTA members – and indeed access to key market data is one of the benefits of TTA membership, and this will become a growing resource over time as new sectors are surveyed.
