January 201520

ABOVE GROUND DRAINAGE

Last year’s appalling weather has benefitted those selling rainwater and above ground drainage products, reports Kevin Stanley.

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Drainge

DemanD grows

he recession hit the building industry hard. House building was affected and at times completely ground to a halt. Along the line

manufacturers were hit and in turn so were builders merchants. The recession was long and difficult for all businesses. Many collapsed altogether, but those that emerged at the other end are stronger and throughout 2014 the industry has at last begun to stabilise and grow. The above ground drainage sector is currently strong and is in line with the growth of new housebuilding experienced early in 2014.

The Construction Products Asso-ciation (CPA) is forecasting that the construction industry is likely to grow 23% by the end of 2018 and contribute £12 billion to the UK economy over the next two years alone. This informa-tion was released in the CPA Autumn forecast, issued in October 2014, with house building one of the major con-tributors.

“Demand for above ground drainage and rainwater management products is high, and growing. Sales of rainwater products are closely linked with the vibrancy of the residential sector, and with residential house building on the increase, it stands to reason that demand for rainwater gutters and downpipes for new builds is rising in line with this,” says Mark Devanney, product manager - above ground drainage, at Polypipe.

RMI growth“RMI housing and new commercial activity is picking up and we’re beginning to see a real growth in the construction industry. What’s clear is that we need to be able to provide products tailored to suit a diverse range of sectors and locations across the UK,” says Ben Hills, trading director, at Drain Center. “Customers need to know they can trust their merchant to deliver. Whatever the project or location we’re confident we can deliver and that’s driving our sales upward.”

In fact it seems that sales are so positive that many manufacturers are already looking forward to 2015 with optimism. “The indications for 2015 are good. I think we can look forward to positive trading and growth with more confidence than we have for several years, says Steve Dunkley, UK sales director – commercial and residential, Aliaxis UK. “Above ground drainage is an area that is enjoying a resurgence – and for Marley Plumbing and Drainage in particular, the business sector looks strong for 2015. Indeed, across all geographies and distribution channels, everyone appears to be ahead of last year,” says Dunkley.

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Growth within the sector has been boosted by an increase in the number of project starts for new build developments with housing stock in both the private and social sectors rising. Refurbishment projects are also flourishing with homeowners beginning to invest in extensions, renovations and general home improvement as their belief in the market increases. “New build developments are providing growth in the rainwater sector, “Rainwater systems might be seen as ‘just guttering’, but people’s homes are important to them. Property owners care about having quality products which perform and stand the test of time – particularly when systems are on the exterior of the property. While they may not be a prominent feature, guttering and downpipes will be noticed if they’re not managing rainwater properly,” advises Devanney.

“As a rainwater harvesting specialist new build developments are very important to us. We believe that all new builds should incorporate rainwater harvesting systems as a matter of course in order to make saving water a simple, everyday fact, for homeowners. National and independent house builders are an important part of the makeup of our

Steve Dunkley

“It makes sense for house builders and homeowners alike to invest in quality products that enhance the look of their home and won’t require the expense of repair works in the future”

January 2015 21BMJ

customer base and we have strong relationships with several developers which we are able to supply products to through a network of builder merchants’ branches across the UK,” says, Matthew Rolph, director, of Graf UK. “Above ground drainage products such as guttering and downpipes are extremely important elements of rainwater harvesting systems and it makes sense for house builders and homeowners alike to invest in quality products that enhance the look of their home and won’t require the expense of

repair works in the future,” says Rolph.As for trends and development in the

sector, new, more innovative products will always be popular to speed up jobs and to offer new solutions, but traditional solutions will always have a place. “We pride ourselves at being able to respond quickly to new trends in the market. We’re seeing many more projects that require modern plastic solutions, but we must also be able to source lead, cast iron and clay products. We also offer a complete range of brackets and fittings. So whatever the project we have everything people need available in one place,” says Hills.

Housebuilding momentumOne key driver may undeniably have been the increased momentum within new housebuilding but the economic recovery has also been buoyed by government initiatives such as the Help to Buy scheme which has encouraged more first time buyers to take a chance on buying a home. “This has really kick-started the whole chain and resulted in a lot of activity not just for larger housebuilders, but medium and local firms too. In turn, this has created a very positive knock-on effect for the

Left: Spring Place Park near Mirfield, a development by Orion Homes features Hunter Plastics’ Surefit Regency. Above: Polypipe has seen domestic rainwater sales increase.

January 201522

ABOVE GROUND DRAINAGE

above ground drainage market, where

more and more people are looking to

improve and extend properties,” says

Dunkley.

“The RMI sector offers growth

potential and should be stronger

in 2015. General RMI work such as

extensions, kitchens and bathrooms

will create opportunities and we fully

expect to see an increase in demand for

our plumbing and drainage products,”

says Mike Shaw, head of marketing

at Wavin. “However we must all be

aware that builders have got more

work and less time. Price is becoming

less important, to a small degree, than

availability and quality with products

needing to be fit for purpose and ready for collection from merchants.”

Upturn benefitSo what should merchants be aware

of and how can they be best prepared

to serve customers? Also in order to

benefit the most from the upturn in the market can they become involved

in areas where they would not

traditionally be considered first choice, by expanding their product offering

and marketing efforts?

“Builders merchants are in a prime

position to supply rainwater gutters

and downpipes and perhaps don’t

take full advantage of this opportunity.

They are often involved in a project

from the ground up, supplying below

ground drainage, bricks and blocks to

large and small scale projects. Being

involved at such an early stage means

that savvy builders merchants can

begin to discuss rainwater options

with customers from the beginning of

a project and open up a potential sales

opportunity. It’s important that build-

ers and plumbers merchants, who

possibly aren’t necessarily thought

of in the first instance for supplying rainwater products, ensure that they

market the fact to their customer base

as early as possible,” says Devanney.

“It’s also important for merchants

to understand the trends within the

region they service.

For example, if the vast major-

ity of the housing stock in your area

has white UPVC windows, gutters

and soffits, it is more than likely that customers on refurbishment and home

improvement projects are likely to

want to match above ground products

to these. As such, there is little point

over stocking black rainwater pipes,

which are likely to take up unneces-

sary space in branch. Merchants with

a good understanding of the local

market, and the types of new develop-

ment likely to come online in the near

future, are far better placed to manage

levels of stock appropriately,” says

Devanney,

The recession forced merchants to

examine their stocking policy and keep

stocks as tight as possible, But with

work beginning to ramp up, merchants

must now take a different approach

to make sure that their stocks reflect market trends. “It’s imperative that the

right products (and a good range) are

readily available for customers, so they

are not forced to purchase elsewhere,”

advises Dunkley.

Merchants and manufacturers are

often looking for opportunities to work

together and to build closer working

relationships. This is important

and they should look to do so as

often as possible in order to provide

the best levels of service, provide

compelling point of sale information,

and ensure customers consider

above ground drainage at the earliest

possible opportunity. Merchant and

manufacturer should work together,

not in collusion against the customer,

but for the benefit of the customer.As forecasts indicate a further

shift to building in cities with new

flat developments and on brownfield sites, as well as increase in healthcare

projects the future looks bright.

“This will all have a massive impact

on the above ground drainage market

and RMI. Inevitably, the industry

will see contractors looking towards

even faster build times and projects,

so merchants and distributors must

have everything on offer to be able to

facilitate this,” says Dunkley.

“We enter 2015 with renewed

confidence in the market. We believe the relaxation of Stamp Duty in the

Chancellor’s Autumn Statement will

really stimulate the economy and

provide the housing market with

renewed impetus,” says Hills.

Above: Hornsea School and Language College has had aluminium rainwater and eaves system replacements installed from Alutec. The products used were Alutec’s Evoke fascia and soffit system in the white RAL 9010 colour and Evolve Deepflow guttering in the Heritage Black colour. Right: Osma rainwater range from Wavin.

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