Shout it from the rooftops! The UK roofing market sees growth of 7% !

The overall UK roofing market grew by 7% in value terms in 2016, according to a new report by AMA Research. Since 2012, demand for roof coverings has been supported by the growth of housebuilding and domestic RMI, along with increased output in a number of commercial and industrial new build & refurbishment markets.

However, tendering for commercial and housebuilding roofing projects has remained highly competitive, and year on year performance has varied.

Overall market trends are largely determined by levels of demand for concrete roof tiles and metal panel systems, which together accounted for around half of total sales in 2016. While concrete tiles are predominantly used on commercial buildings, the main source of increasing demand has been volume housebuilding. Demand for roof tiles and slates is relatively lower within the commercial and industrial newbuild & major re-roofing and RMI sectors, with flat roofing and metal roofing systems being used to an increasing extent.

Distribution of roofing materials varies significantly between different product sectors. Builders’ merchants and roofing merchants are the key routes to market for suppliers of concrete and clay tiles, while independent importers and distribution networks are the main channels in the roofing slates sector, as the majority of products are imported. With flat roofing systems mainly used on commercial buildings, the main channels are roofing merchants and direct sales, while direct supply from the manufacturer is the main route to market for profiled metal roofing projects, which often require bespoke design, structures and close collaborations with manufacturers.

Several factors are threatening the construction market, and are likely to have a knock-on effect for the roofing market. Uncertainty following Brexit and the general election result appears to be undermining confidence within the UK construction industry at present, with Q2 2017 state of trade data from the Construction Products Association and ONS new orders and output statistics, suggesting major investors are starting to hold off from funding major commercial and industrial construction projects. Since 2015, an acceleration in the shortage of skilled roofers, which is likely to be exacerbated by the Brexit issue and a potential reduction of EU workers, has resulted in a demand for higher wages and contributed towards an overall reduction in margins.


Sales Jobs in the roofing sector >>

However, there are also a number of positive factors supporting the UK’s roofing market. A significant share of roofing materials goes into RMI and replacement projects, which support the market even during difficult economic times. The markets for EPDM and other types of single ply membranes (SPMs) have grown strongly over the last half dozen years, also taking some share from bitumen sheets within the commercial sector.

Keith Taylor, Director at AMA research, said: “The housebuilding market remains very positive in the sense that demand levels are high, and the Government has indicated that it wants to support the affordable sector with various schemes, something which should have a positive impact on the roofing sector. In addition, a large part of the roofing sector is driven by repair and maintenance and as such the market value has good support, even if the wider construction market turns more negative.”

Bearing these factors in mind, we forecast a stabilisation in demand for roofing products through to 2021, with more positive market growth in the latter part of the forecast period, reflecting some improvement in confidence and the economy as the impact of the EU exit settles down. As such the overall market is forecast grow by a very modest 4% between 2016 and 2021.

The ‘Roofing Market Report UK – 2017-2021 Analysis’ report is published by AMA Research, a leading provider of market research and consultancy services with over 25 years’ experience within the construction and home improvement markets. The report is available now and can be ordered online at www.amaresearch.co.uk or by calling 01242 235724.

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Job in Focus: Commercial Roofing Products in South - £90k OTE

Our new Job in Focus for September is for manufacturer of commercial roofing solutions. Selling to Architects, Surveyors, Main contractors and Installers. You will be tasked concentrating on the refurbishment market and cover the South of the UK. The package is pp to £60K with realistic £90K OTE.

Our Construction & Building Industry Job in Focus feature takes a detailed look at some of the fantastic sales & marketing construction and building materials job vacancies currently on our books. 

Job in Focus is also promoted on our website. www.pinnacleconsulting.co.uk 


JOB IN FOCUS FULL DETAILS

Job Title: Sales Executive
Job Ref: J9370
Product: Roofing Flat
Location: London & South East
Salary: £60k

Manufacturer of commercial roofing solutions. Selling to Architects, Surveyors, Main contractors and Installers. 

Package: Up to £60K with realistic £90K OTE. Company car, Mobile, Laptop, Pension, Healthcare. 

Employer: Working with an innovative business synonymous with quality products & excellent technical support. A business which is rapidly expanding due to an excellent growth strategy and a tenacious sales team. 

Job Description: Focussing mainly on the refurbishment market with a small amount of new build. Marketing the full range of commercial roofing solutions with surveyors, architects, main contractors, local authorities and specialist installers. This is an excellent patch for the business with significant growth opportunities. 

Area: Field based role covering the South: Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, London, Surrey, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Dorset and Somerset. 

Person: We are seeking a proven field sales professional with experience selling via specification with architects and surveyors on refurbishment projects. The ideal candidate will ideally come from a roofing background but the client is open on similar product groups if the candidate have the correct route to market experience. 

For further information or to discuss your career options contact Stuart Entwistle on 01480 405225 or apply online

UK Flat Roofing market is showing encouraging signs of improvement

There has been encouraging news for the flat roofing market in the latest AMA Research report, which indicates improvement during the last two years. It has grown by around 3.5% and reached around 28 million m sq. in 2014 (in terms of area of waterproofing membranes fitted by metres sq.)

It also showed that some flat roofing products, e.g. PVC single ply membranes and liquid roofing systems, fared better than others, due to factors such as greater ease and speed of installation, lower cost and wider ranges of colour finishes available to specifiers. All key areas that produce development and marketing professionals should take heed of.

Are you a sales or marketing professional looking for a new job in the roofing market? Find our more >>>

Which sectors are showing growth?
Mirroring many of the vacancies in the flat roofing market that we have filled on behalf of our clients, since 2012, key areas of growth in demand have included commercial offices, schools, leisure facilities, warehouses and infrastructure buildings. 

However, maintenance and repair work is also a key area of activity. Basic repair work by jobbing builders, using traditional bitumen felts, as opposed to higher performing reinforced bitumen membranes (RBMs) is a significant factor in the market and has also helped to sustain the market in recent years.

Type of product selling
Waterproofing membranes are the most extensively used product on flat roofing works as they are used on all applications from basic repairs to complete new installations. Bitumen products have the largest share although these range from basic, single layer felts used on garage roofs to higher performance, triple layered reinforced bitumen membranes (RBMs) used on large newbuild developments.

Distribution trends
The supply of waterproofing membranes is concentrated among relatively few suppliers, which are also key suppliers of vapour control layers, and the supply of insulation products is also limited to a relatively small number of UK manufacturers. While there is significant production of bitumen membranes and felts in the UK, import levels are significant, in particular within the single membrane and liquid waterproofing sectors.

Distribution is largely split between the specialist roofing merchants and general builders’ merchants, typically supplying smaller contractors and general builders, and also direct sales to contractors working on large projects. The contracting sector is polarised between a large number of very small, local firms and a relatively small number of national and large regional businesses.

Future outlook
Over the medium term, to 2019, it forecast that demand will increase owing to growth in the development of key new build markets, notably industrial buildings and commercial offices, internet warehousing, free schools & city academies, university buildings and leisure facilities.

In the industrial sector, it is anticipated that there will be a surge in growth in advanced manufacturing and R&D, with universities and property developers pushing forward with developments in Enterprise Zones, where there is a focus on building factories and research facilities.

“Contractors output in the education sector is also expected to grow, mainly due to greater capital commitments among universities and Free schools and also Academies” said Keith Taylor, Director of AMA Research. “Budget reductions in public sector capital programmes will impact on the market, however, with the public sector schools and healthcare sub-sectors mainly affected”.

The ‘Flat Roofing Market Report – UK 2015-2019 Analysis’ report is published by AMA Research. The full report is available now and can be ordered online here.