FORT Fencing
Agricultural & Equine Fencing
FORT Customer Update - May 2025
18 May 2025
Yet again we can start with the weather and after last year when all we did was moan, 2025 is turning out to be a belter for the construction industry – we defy anyone to say they’re held up on their work!
What’s more, we still have at least 5 months where things should be decent, so it all helps to keep jobs running smoothly.
If there’s any downside it might be that we’re seeing the workload running ahead of demand and that might create a shortfall for new business later in the year, but let’s make hay while the sun shines.
FORT continues to report strong demand across a wide range of construction activity, albeit with a few mixed messages from some Customers saying that future work is more patchy.
The UK economy seems to have ridden through a lot of the US tax chaos without too much impact so far, but changes on the scale we have seen are bound to create ripples; some of the fallout is positive (lower interest rates, weaker $) but none of us really can see how things will land.
Availability is still good; there are no major issues but apart from Chinese and some other imported products there are inflationary pressures around and if demand does grow across Europe we’re more likely to see availability worsen and prices rise. Our Red Warning remains:
Please be careful when tendering or estimating – material prices look to be likely to rise and this could seriously affect your costings.
The other key issues are higher wage costs through rises in the minimum wage and employers national insurance, along with higher business rates. The impact of this is still unclear; there are some positives (higher disposable income for many people) and negatives (reluctance of employers to take on people).
FORT continues to invest in everything it takes to provide fantastic service. Aside from that, another key ingredient is stock on the ground. With 3 operating yards centred around our main hub at The Longhouse in Membury, we hold huge stocks and these ensure that you and your teams can rely on FORT to deliver the goods, on time and in full.
Team Growth & Service Enhancements
As always, it’s full steam ahead at FORT! We’ve brought in a few new team members in May, and as they bed in over the coming weeks we’ll start to introduce them to you, but needless to say that they embody the FORT spirit and customer service and are already contributing to the delivery and yard teams.
In the last few weeks we have also rolled out new in-house design software for kitchens and bathrooms to be able to design with you, produce excellent 3D renders of the designs and elevate our kitchen and bathroom offering.
In the next couple of weeks we’ll have news of new bathroom offerings from Harper & Brooke - perfect for contractors and homeowners - as well as some internal door promotions, so keep your eyes peeled for more on that in June.
It remains our best kept secret, so if you haven’t already then please do ask one of the team about our showroom, the perfect place to see the wide range of options that FORT can provide!
General Availability & Price Update
We mitigate price increases wherever possible, but we are seeing increases come through from our suppliers on a range of materials. After negotiation, the anticipated increase in price of rigid insulation has now been deferred until July, which is great news, but availability remains restricted on aircrete blocks, and we’re seeing long lead times on deliveries of flint blocks (although FORT continues to have good stocks of both!).
The FORT purchasing team are doing a great job of ensuring that we have stock on the ground and available, but as always, please forward-plan your requirement so that you aren’t caught short. Wherever possible, price ahead of time and build contingency for price increases into tenders for the future.
Market Update:
Timber
This is a chart for the US market. As you can see, rates rose, but fell back significantly during the initial tariff saga. The European market remains dull but availability is tight. The talk around increased prices has now begun to turn into actual increases. Current rates are still unviable in the medium term and are bound to continue increasing. FORT are seeing increases coming through.
Weather & Climate - The 2024 and early 2025 rainfall was ‘Biblical’ and now it could be the same in reverse. We’ve hardly seen a drop of rain for a month. February was 134%, March 20% and April 32% and May is below average as well. Great building weather!
Currency - The £ has strengthened against the $ (around $1.33 = £1) and this affects many items bought in $. The Euro has also weakened (E1.18 = £1). The Swedish Krown strengthened but has lost some of its gains (Kr 12.90 = £1) so all in all this helps UK purchasing power.
Oil Prices - In January 2024 the price was $78 and is now around $63. US trade policy has impacted heavily and it shows that oil is less of a factor now than it was a decade ago, as the world begins to move to a zero carbon environment.
Containers - Rates have remained very low but who knows where this will go? Demand has dropped and containers will be in the wrong places. This affects goods from India (sandstone) and the Far East (plywood for example). It is an important indicator. As the US & china resolve their tariff war demand will come back and probably push up rates.
Steel - Steel prices had levelled then looked to be falling, but have steadied. A rough balance between supply and demand seems to be back.
Inflation/Interest Rates - RPI has grown to around 3.5% from 2.7% in September and is currently stuck there; this is a concern. The pressure on inflation kis keeping the Bank of England on its toes; the most likely way forward is slightly lower rates and we saw a 0.25% drop in early May.
As always, please do not assume stock availability - check with the sales office!
Our reputation relies on word of mouth and testimonials from our valued customers, and as such we'd love for you to share reviews of your experiences with us on either Google, Facebook or TrustPilot if you have the time.
Thank you very much for your ongoing support of FORT!
Best regards,
Matt, Tim & Keith
The Directors