Ladder wholesale supplier TB Davies Group has reported a jump in its first half-year sales but remained cautious of difficult ongoing trading conditions.
The access equipment supplier said that the market environment remained challenging, particularly in the DIY and renovation channels, but had seen significant improvements from manufacturing and even the embattled construction sector.
TB Davies Managing Director David Gray commented, “Our priority has been to remain competitive while providing value and quality to our customers; and we have a renewed focus on exceeding our customers’ expectations in the areas of product design, price and quality in a way that is easier to communicate and understand. Service remains a core value with our market leading Next Day Delivery for orders received by 5pm delivering true value to our customers.”
He added, “We have managed a stabilisation of input cost prices and delivered sales growth in both of our divisions, with continued margin initiatives we can ensure our retail network can market our products as competitively as possible.”
Research conducted by AMA recently reported the overall access market had fallen by 28% between 2007 and 2010 and predicted growth this year at only 1%.
Gray also remarked, “Whilst we have had a good year so far and outperformed industry expectations, it remains our view that this year is likely to remain a tough one for the UK access industry.”
