Pipes & Fittings – 5 Key Facts

The market encompasses a wide range of products including pipe systems for internal heating and potable water supply; rainwater guttering, downpipes and fittings; soil and waste pipes, traps and fittings. Value growth in the market is largely driven by levels of demand from key end-use sectors, principally in housebuilding and non-residential construction.

Get up to speed with our 5 Key Facts:

1, The UK pipes and fittings market has slowed in recent years, achieving only modest growth of 2% per annum since 2017, compared with growth of 3-4% per annum earlier in the decade. Following a significant fall in value in 2020 due to the pandemic, the sector recovered well in 2021, increasing by 13%.

2, The pipes and fitting markets were affected significantly by a fall in output across most of its key end use sectors during 2020, but the decline in new work in both the residential and commercial sectors was partially offset by a more resilient RMI sector, particularly non-residential RMI.

3, The long-term trend of switching from copper to less expensive plastic pipe systems and fittings has acted as a constraint on market growth, which has been slower than that for rainwater, soil and waste products in recent years.

4, Whilst housebuilding and house moving levels remain the key driver of market growth in the short to medium term, growing awareness of water usage, triggered partly by rising water prices, as well as awareness of environmental issues and management of waste water will make a steady contribution to underlying growth in the medium to longer term.

5, The regional merchants’ share has increased in recent years due to a combination of organic growth and several acquisitions of smaller companies. The local companies’ share has fallen slightly due to acquisitions by larger regional merchants.

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