Ferguson sees trading improvement as Covid lockdowns ease

Plumbing and heating supplies group Ferguson said trading had improved steadily since the heights of coronavirus lockdowns in April.

The company on Friday said revenue from continuing operations was down 3.6% for the period from May 1 to April 22, compared with a 15.3% fall in April. Ferguson’s online business continued to grow well with revenues 30.4% ahead of last year.

“In the US, our counter locations were open by mid-June. We continue to encourage customers to use our e-commerce tools where possible and customer adoption rates have been very strong during the pandemic with increased user activity of our mobile experience for trade customers,” Ferguson said.

“While showrooms continue to operate virtual appointments, all of our bricks and mortar sites are now open for pre-booked appointments only. We are rapidly putting in place measures to support walk-in customers and to date about 50% of the network has been converted.”