FORT Fencing
Agricultural & Equine Fencing
FORT December Newsletter - 2022
16 December 2022
FORT Progress Update
Well, here we are; it’s December – where did that one go? 2022 has continued to spring surprises, but now we’re heading for Christmas, which is usually a time where our sector gets a well earned break. We’d like to start our final report of the year with a huge THANK YOU to all of our Customers. FORT has grown strongly again during this year and added many, many more Customers, but whether you’re a new arrival or a long-standing buyer, we’re incredibly grateful for your support.
We've spent 2022 adding new people, vehicles, stock lines and yard space, and we couldn't have done it without the ongoing support of our suppliers and customers and of course our hard-working staff!
From all of us here at FORT, we want to wish all of our customers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. And now onto the nitty gritty of the update!
It’s quite hard at this time of the year to gauge activity, as things quieten down, but we’re still hearing of plenty of work across our customers, with many new projects due to start in January.
FORT Consult, our estimating service, is very busy which also signals that there’s work coming downstream. Speak to any of our sales team or look on our website for more information on the Estimating Service.
Finally a reminder that we'll be closing for Christmas as usual, with our last trading day of 2022 being Thursday 22nd December. We'll then re-open again on Tuesday 3rd January 2023.
General Availability & Price Update
General Availability & Price Update
As we reported in November, general activity is bound to be affected by the UK economy. House prices have dropped from their peak as mortgages and other costs increase.
We’re receiving reports of some significant price increases on certain materials in January. Please be careful on pricing forwards; it’s still tricky, especially on high energy products.
Our advice remains the same:
- We urge you to NOT give firm price commitments beyond a short timeframe – some availability and inflationary pressures are still present.
- Fort continue to hold excellent stock levels in most areas. Contact our sales team for further advice.
FORT continues to hold excellent stock levels and has some new products in the range: Kooltherm K101; Deep Fill Self Level; Sunridge Bricks – come and have a look around.
As usual, we’ve updated our indices, which help you to get a temperature check or overview of key data:
£ Exchange at the time of writing this, the £ is at its highest point for well over 5 months, but it’s still very bumpy. That’s 7.5% below where it was a year ago. This has an impact on shipping costs and fuel but is starting to improve.
Containers As you can see, these have fallen back dramatically and seem to be continuing to fall. Rates are now a quarter of the price at the start of the year. This is helping to improve rates on heavy items, such as stone paving.
Steel After a massive hike at the start of the Ukraine war, prices fell heavily, but have started to rise again since October. However, these rates are still well down on recent prices.
TimberAlthough this tracks the US market it does indicate the direction of travel. The price has returned pretty much towards the higher end of ‘normal’ after a huge rollercoaster ride.
InflationPossibly the most terrifying statistic of them all! To see inflation above 12% is very scary, especially as our sector is likely to start to see demand falling and pricing under pressure. Last month it looked as if inflation had peaked ….. wrong! We clearly still have a long way to go before we see inflation has been licked.
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, and we look forward to seeing you in 2023!
Best regards,
Matt, Tim & Keith
The Directors