Supplier price increases hit merchants according to MRA Reports

MRA Building Market Reports (MRA Reports) has published its latest update on the general builders’ merchant market.

The UK Builders’ Merchants Pulse & Forecasts report includes a quarterly Pulse survey of builders’ merchant confidence, sales expectations and issues, which found that merchants’ biggest problem in Q2 2026 was supplier price rises, mentioned by 55% of respondents.

Supplier price rises were seen as a problem by as many as 84% of merchants in Q2 2026, while 64% found squeezed margins to be an issue as merchants struggle to pass on price rises to their customers. It has also increased competitive pressures, including competition from DIY retail and
online channels as customers switch to lower cost products.

Availability is becoming a problem for some products, with 66% of merchant branches had struggled with lead times, while 58% had found product availability a problem. Over a quarter of respondents also saw online competition (37%), supplier service & support (30%) and poor demand (28%) as problems.

The overall report includes a market update and a revised 2026-2030 market forecast.