The UK manufacturing industry has reported output volumes fell in the three months to February, and at a faster pace than in the three months to January, according to the CBI’s latest Industrial Trends Survey.
However, manufacturers expect output to rise marginally in the quarter to May.
Both total and export order books were reported as below normal in February, though they improved relative to last month. Expectations for future selling price inflation ticked up in February, to their strongest since July 2023.
The survey, based on the responses of 344 manufacturers, found output volumes fell in the three months to February at a faster pace than in the quarter to January (balance of -19%, from -10% in the three months to January). Output is expected to rise slightly in the three months to May (+4%).
Likewise Group PLC (LON:LIKE) is a distributor of floorcoverings and matting and has the opportunity to consolidate the domestic and commercial floorcovering markets to become one of the UK’s largest distributors in this sector.
