Builders Merchants Journal – BMJ Publishing to Builders Merchants and the UK merchanting industry for more than 95 years
The weather, the Olympics and the (lack of) construction work
I don’t suppose that there can be anyone left in the UK who is not aware that the London 2012 Olympic Games are nearly upon us. Even I am not totally immune, having watched the Olympic Torch pass through the small town in Warwickshire where I live, on a Sunday evening. Lots of retail opportunities for flags, whistles and badges, but I did not see much sand and cement being sold!
Construction of The Games’ venues themselves, of course, consumed vast quantities of building materials, but what does the forthcoming event itself mean for Builders Merchants and their suppliers?
From the cement side, there is no obvious product that will be a ‘must have’ to complete the 2012 Olympic Games experience. Some people will of course be glued to the TV for the duration or actually be lucky enough to have tickets for the events and the result may well be a reduction in footfall. Transport links around major Olympic venues may also be congested, which may add to the reduction in footfall at certain sites and suppliers will need to factor this into their delivery schedules.
Of course there are many who may wish to escape from the event altogether and a trip to the Builders Merchant, may provide a welcome haven from wall to wall sport.
What could be better (for some) than eating al-fresco, with no TV in sight? Weather permitting, a new or spruced up patio area or sun room and a state of the art barbecue could be just the ticket. Not to mention that if Team GB wins the anticipated sack-load of medals, we will also need somewhere to celebrate.
Olympics hysteria aside, the weather is the key to sales of building materials. Hopefully, there is a pent-up demand for building work that has been delayed by the awful summer weather. Builders traditionally prefer working in fine weather (who wouldn’t!) and I suspect that even though the 2012 Olympic Games are underway, they will want to recoup any lost revenue and get back to work.
So the future is really in the hands of the weather gods once again, but a prolonged spell of warm dry weather will not only give the building industry a boost, but will also cheer us all up and improve the existing national feel-good factor brought about by The Games.
