April showers mean slow progress for materials suppliers

April showers mean slow progress for materials suppliers Travis Perkins, the builders' merchant, said yesterday that April's showers has hit demand . The chief executive, Geoff Cooper, said: "We are happy with the good progress in the first quarter. Rain stopped play elsewhere in the building industry, with Eric Gadsden, the chairman of Michelmersh Brick Holdings, saying that bad weather in February "resulted in lower-than-expected sales volume" at the brick maker for the first quarter. He said, however, that brick prices were showing signs of an increase because competitors had closed down. Sales were boosted slightly by the acquisition in January of Toolstation, a smaller British rival. He also hinted that acquisitions could be on the horizon. April showers mean slow progress for materials suppliers Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 15/05/2012