Grafton revenues boosted by warm weather

Builders' merchant Grafton Group posted a rise in first-half revenue on Wednesday as it benefited from warm weather.

In a trading update for the period from 1 January to 30 June, the company said group revenue was up 8.6% to £1.45bn from the same period a year ago, or 7.9% higher at constant currency. Meanwhile, like-for-like revenue increased by 3.8%.

Merchanting revenue was up 6.7% in the UK at constant currency and 7.6% in Ireland. In the Netherlands, it rose 18.8%, but in Belgium revenue fell 2.9%.

In retailing, revenue was up 13.4%, while manufacturing revenue was 21% higher.

Chief executive officer Gavin Slark said: "We were pleased with the group's performance in the first half though the trading pattern was heavily influenced by the weather. The very cold conditions experienced in March and April have been followed by a hot and dry May and June which has benefited a number of businesses, particularly Woodie's.

"In the UK, the group's growth has been influenced by the Selco store opening programme and the acquisition of Leyland SDM in February, where we are pleased with progress to date. Our businesses in Ireland and the Netherlands continue to perform well. We enter the second half well placed to deliver our expectations for the financial year."