14 May 2025

AGM Trading Update

Return to revenue growth with improving trends in all reporting segments and full year expectations unchanged

Marshalls, a leading manufacturer of sustainable solutions for the built environment, provides the following trading update for the four months to 30 April 2025 ahead of its Annual General Meeting at 11.00am today.

Trading performance

The Group delivered revenue of £207 million (2024: £199 million), marking a return to growth and a year-on-year increase of four per cent.

Landscaping Products revenue contracted by three per cent year-on-year to £86 million (2024: £89 million), which is a significant improvement over the 11 per cent reduction reported in the second half of 2024. This performance is encouraging in the context of subdued end markets and reflects the impact of the comprehensive performance improvement plan that was initiated in June 2024. The improving trend was evident in both our stockist and direct to site revenues, driven by strengthened customer relationships. We remain confident of achieving revenue and market share growth for Landscaping Products in 2025 and are further encouraged by the ongoing improvements in our order intake.

Building Products revenue grew by four per cent to £56 million (2024: £54 million). This growth reflects a strong performance in our Water Management and Mortars business units driven respectively by good commercial execution and moderate improvements in build rates on housing developments which favours ready-to-use mortars. In Bricks we continued to see growth in facing bricks although overall revenue was impacted by softer demand for other products in a competitive marketplace. The Aggregates business unit was impacted by softer demand and reported lower revenues year-on-year.

Roofing revenue increased by 15 per cent to £65 million (2024: £56 million). This growth was driven by the continued strong performance of Viridian Solar, which benefitted from house builders choosing its market-leading integrated solar proposition in response to changes in building regulations. Marley Roofing also delivered sustained revenue growth, primarily through timber battens and clay tiles, with the latter benefitting from the launch of a new product range.

Balance sheet and liquidity

The Group's balance sheet remains strong, ending the period with pre-IFRS16 net debt of £171 million (April 2024: £175 million; December 2024: £134 million). The increase in net debt since the 2024 year end reflects the anticipated impact of the Group's seasonal working capital requirements together with the settlement of the final Viridian Solar contingent consideration payment of £6.6 million. The Group had £140 million undrawn on its revolving credit facility at the end of the period, which provides the Group with significant liquidity to fund its strategic and operational plans.

Outlook

The Board is encouraged as we begin to see results from our performance improvement plans in Landscaping and growth across our other businesses despite markets remaining subdued. The Group remains well placed to benefit as key end markets recover. Against this backdrop, the Board's expectations for 2025 remain unchanged.

Matt Pullen, Chief Executive of Marshalls plc, said:

"We have made an encouraging start to 2025 with a return to Group revenue growth in the first four months of the year and improving trends in all our reporting segments.

We remain focused on executing our performance improvement plan in Landscaping alongside deploying our Transform & Grow' strategy at pace and are well positioned to respond swiftly to improving activity levels when our key end markets recover."

Enquiries:

Note to the Editor:

About Marshalls plc:

Established in the late 1880s, Marshalls plc is a leading UK manufacturer of sustainable solutions for the built environment. It operates through three trading divisions: Landscaping; Building; and Roofing. At a Group, divisional and brand level, Marshalls' strategy centres around its customers who value its unique set of capabilities, namely leading brands, best in class technical and design support and carbon leadership. This is underpinned by business wide enterprise excellence, leadership in ESG governance and standards and its people, organisation, and culture.  

The Group operates a national network of manufacturing and distribution sites. Marshalls is committed to quality in everything it does, including the achievement of high environmental and ethical standards and continual improvement in health and safety performance. Its strategic goal is to become the UK's leading manufacturer of sustainable solutions and products for the built environment. 

Forward-Looking Statements:

Any statements in this release, to the extent that they are forward-looking, are subject to risk factors associated with, amongst other things, the economic and business circumstances occurring from time to time in the markets in which Marshalls operates. It is believed that the expectations reflected in these statements are reasonable, but they may be affected by a wide range of variables, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated.  More information about the factors that may affect Marshalls' performance is contained in the Annual Report to shareholders for the year ended 31 December 2024.