The North West is one of only two regions in the UK to show growth in sales of building materials in the last quarter, according to latest figures from BMF (Builders Merchants Federation).

The national trade body’s Builders Merchants Building Index (BMBI) found the North West recorded a rise of +1.3% in value sales between April and June 2026 when compared to the same quarter last year.

Only Scotland sold more, recording growth at +7.8% with all other regions selling less than Q2 2025 and London ranking worst with a drop in sales of -5.6%.

The North West was also the second best performing of the BMF’s 11 regions in June 2026, with a rise in sales of +5.9% against the same month in 2025.

Adrian Shelley is Director at Henshaws Roofing and Building Supplies and serves as BMF Regional Chair for the North of England.

He said: “In the challenging UK market, it is encouraging to see the North West region performing above prior year.

“That said, we did see significant price inflation of building material products versus prior year so in volume terms, it’s likely we are flat at best against 2025.

“While cautiously optimistic, there remains much for national and local government to do to improve confidence and in particular, get both public and private house building back on track, which in turn, stimulates the wider building materials supply chain.”

The BMF’s BMBI evaluates building materials sales on a monthly basis and is considered to be a key bellwether for the national economic picture.

BMF CEO John Newcomb said: “The UK construction supply chain has endured four years of continual decline, but the North West is bucking this trend, being second only to Scotland in terms of value sales according to the latest month, quarter and year-to-date figures.

“Historically, London has always been the major point of demand for construction in the UK, but increasingly, we are seeing London ranking lowest in terms of building materials sales, with sales growth in Scotland and the North of England.

“The BMBI for June also includes online sales for the first time, which were up +25% in June 2026 compared to June 2025.”

The BMF represents 1,020 members with combined sales of £52 billion pounds and employing almost 209,000 staff.