Marshalls revenue rises 10% despite bad weather

Marshalls said freezing conditions affected sales severely but the paving specialist’s revenue still rose 10% in the first four months of 2018.

Revenue in 2018 to the end of April rose to £149m from £135m a year earlier, the construction company said in a trading update. Sales would have been about £9m higher without the extreme winter weather that gripped the UK in March, Marshalls added.

The FTSE 250 company said: “In common with the rest of the industry, the severe weather conditions in this period have had a significant impact on sales with snow and ice making ground working difficult and our factories having to be closed for a number of days.”

Sales to households, which make up 29% of Marshalls’ business, were the worst affected, falling 2%. Commercial and public sector sales, which are two-thirds of the business, rose 18%.

Marshalls noted that industry forecasts for the year had weakened, reflecting wider economic uncertainty. The company said, despite the severe weather, the board was confident about achieving its expectations for the year.