Every year since two-thousand-and-..something, it’s been a tradition for dictionary makers to nominate a word of the year.
One that sums up the general state of play for each lap we do around the sun. For 2024, The Oxford Dictionary suggests brain rot. Merriam Webster sees it as polarizing, with runners up demure and totality. Collins have nominated Brat. No, we don’t know what it means either.
The UK construction market offers up an alternative – curveball.
As an industry we’re certainly not strangers to unexpected change, but 2024 delivered them in spades. From the sudden collapse of a major contractor, the shockwaves from which we are still yet to see the true impact of (lest we face the wrath of the insolvency domino effect), to a spate of credit defaults that left markets scrambling, it’s been a masterclass in crisis management.
As a manufacturer, we’re at the sharp end of the challenges. Supply chain instability, shifting customer demands, and unrelenting pressures define our world. But as an industry, our collective resilience and ability to adapt have moved us forward. We’ve learned, we’ve innovated, and we’ve strengthened what matters most – our relationships.
So, what’s on the horizon for 2025?
To put it bluntly – if you’re looking for an easy ride, you’re in the wrong business. But we’re ready. And we’re surprisingly optimistic.
Shifting sands, turning tides
Merchants have been well and truly under the lens, and the landscape has certainly shifted. In the year past, some players have restructured, and a considerable number have been acquired. And after a period of stability, will we see a re-shaping of the buying group landscape in 2025?
Credit management will dominate the agenda. With contractor defaults from 2024 fresh in our memories, robust management and risk assessment will be the name of the game.
Distribution is the pulse of progress
Activity in distribution channels will also be a defining feature of 2025. Growing demand for faster delivery times and smarter supply chains – a need brought about by ambitious building targets - burgeons a need for a clever approach to logistics.
Collaboration across the supply chain will be key to meeting rising expectations around efficiency and flexibility and we’ll need to lean on our distribution partners perhaps more than ever.
A market better than forecast
Make no question of it, there will be challenges. But we believe that the market in 2025 may outperform current forecasts. Global and external pressures will remain, but resilience demonstrated by contractors, designers, and suppliers in recent years suggests we may be better prepared to capitalise on potential opportunities than we may expect.
With high-potential projects in key sectors like infrastructure, due to kick off towards the latter part of the year, and sustainability and energy targets driving retrofitting and refurbishment projects, the potential for growth is in our sights.
In an era defined by rapid change and formidable challenges, partnerships are and always will be a critical driver of success. A unified approach to navigating uncertainties will continue to separate the leaders from the rest.
In 2025, our role will continue to extend beyond simply supplying products. For us, the future lies in remaining a trusted partner. Stability may still be elusive, but progress—not to jinx it, but perhaps, even growth—appears to be within reach.
