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- UK Plumbing Market Report 2022
The UK Plumbing Market Report identifies the impact of inflation on the plumbing products market, evolving technology in the central heating sector and leading merchants in the plumbing market. This report covers the plumbing market size, market forecast, market segmentation and plumbing industry trends.
Current Landscape of the UK Plumbing Market
The pandemic caused significant disruption to the products sector of the plumbing market, but the recovery was strong in the second half of 2020 as pent-up demand combined with generally strong demand conditions. Conditions remained strong in 2021 but have come under very different pressures in 2022 as consumer spending has been challenged by growing inflation and rising mortgage interest rates.
UK Plumbing Market Share and Plumbing Industry Trends
Continued pressures of inflation and increased interest rates will impact demand, but it will be partially offset by increasing demand for new house builds, which will continue to sustain elements in the plumbing market. In addition, the housing imbalance in the UK has sustained house-price inflation and encouraged house-moving activity, both traditional drivers of demand in the UK plumbing market.
- Plumbing market size: Market size for plumbing products reached £4996.5M in 2021.
- Plumbing market size: New construction demand accounts for around 20% of activity in the plumbing market.
- In 2020, the UK government set the goal of installing up to 600,000 heat pumps per year till 2028.
Future UK Plumbing Industry Trends
Mintel’s plumbing market report outlines the future challenges and changes that have started to occur in the heating element of the plumbing market. The government is looking to experiment with hydrogen to reduce fossil fuel as an energy source and actively promote heat pumps as a replacement for conventional boilers. This concept is further exacerbated by growing consumer attention towards fuel efficiency, driven by the extreme inflation levels seen in 2022 and likely to persist into 2023.
To discover more about the UK Plumbing Market Report 2022, read our UK Bathroom and Bathroom Accessories Market Report 2022, or take a look at our Industrial Market Research Reports.
Quickly Understand
- How the pandemic impacted installations and the ongoing impact of the cost of living on the plumbing market.
- The major implications and challenges created by the Government’s net zero targets for the central heating sector and how new technology is evolving.
- The fragmentation of the bathroom product sector, plumbing industry trends and purchase decision drivers.
- The wide variety of influences on the plumbing products demand and how they fluctuate and react to wider economic conditions.
- Explores plumbing market size and plumbing market share.
Covered in this Report
Markets: UK domestic central heating market, UK bathroom and sanitary ware market, UK commercial heating market.
Brands: Rettig, Vaillant, Baxi, Ideal Boilers and Bosch Thermotechnology, Stelrad, Quinn, Hortsmann, Pegler, Landis & Gyr
Expert Analysis from a Specialist in the B2B Sector
This report, written by Terry Leggett, a leading analyst in the B2B sector, delivers in-depth commentary and analysis to highlight current trends in the plumbing market and add expert context to the numbers.
COVID-19 strongly disrupted plumbing product markets in the first half of 2020, but there was a strong recovery in the second half of the year that continued into 2021, though with less impact from pent-up demand. The first half of 2022 has held up surprisingly well in the face of pressure on consumer spending power from fuel-based inflation. Ultimately, this will be a stimulus for the heating element of the market, which will also see government interventions boosting demand. Kitchens and bathrooms remain lifestyle products, with demand boosted by strong house-moving activity.”
Terry Leggett
Senior Analyst
Collapse All
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Overview
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Market context
- Products covered in this Report
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Executive Summary
- The five-year outlook for plumbing products
- Figure 1: Plumbing products outlook, 2022-27
- The market
- Market size and forecast
- Figure 2: Market size for plumbing products, 2016-26
- Markets with separate influences
- Figure 3: Segmentation of the plumbing products sector, 2021 (£ million)
- Companies and brands
- Plumbing
- Figure 4: Development of plumbing and heat and air-conditioning installing companies, 2016-2020
- Bathroom products
- Figure 5: Development of the ceramic bathroom products industry, 2016-21
- Kitchen furniture
- Figure 6: Development of the kitchen furniture industry, 2016-21
- The heating industry
- Figure 7: Development of the central heating radiators and boilers industry, 2016-21
- The five-year outlook for plumbing products
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Issues and Insights
- Is a new boiler really the answer to fuel-based inflation?
- Market changes in other sectors
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Market Size and Performance
- Major disruption
- Figure 8: Market size for plumbing products, 2016-21
- Major disruption
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Market Forecast
- Changing demand factors
- Figure 9: Plumbing products outlook, 2022-27
- Medium-term prospects remain steady
- Figure 10: Market forecast for plumbing products, 2021-26
- Forecast methodology
- Changing demand factors
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Market Segmentation – Overview
- Fragmented product base
- Figure 11: Segmentation of the plumbing products sector, 2021 (£ million)
- Fragmented product base
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Market Segmentation – Commercial Heating
- Background
- COVID-19 disruption
- Figure 12: Market size of commercial heating products, 2016-21
- Product segmentation
- Figure 13: Product segmentation of commercial heating products market, 2021 (£ million)
- Market forecast
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- Figure 14: Forecast market size for commercial heating products, 2021-2026
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Market Segmentation – Residential Heating
- Background
- Figure 15: Residential central heating boilers in England, by type, 2001-20
- Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI)
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- Figure 16: Accredited applications under the RHI, 2011-2022
- Clean Heat Grant
- Boiler Scrappage Scheme/Energy Company Obligation
- Boiler Upgrade Scheme
- COVID-19 disruption but strong recovery
- Figure 17: Market size of residential heating products, 2016-2021
- Product segmentation
- Figure 18: Product segmentation for residential heating boilers, 2021
- Figure 19: Residential heating system installations, by fuel type, 2021
- Market forecast – major changes ahead
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- Figure 20: Forecast market size for residential heating products, 202126
- Background
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Market Segmentation – Bathrooms
- Background factors
- Strong fluctuations from the pandemic
- Figure 21: Market size of bathroom-based plumbing products, 2016-2021
- Market segmentation
- Figure 22: Market segmentation for bathroom products, 2021
- Product segmentation
- Figure 23: Product segmentation of bathroom products, 2021
- Market forecast
- Figure 24: Forecast market size for bathroom-based plumbing products, 2021-26
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Market Segmentation – Kitchens
- Market background
- Figure 25: International comparison of UK average house sizes
- COVID-19-related market fluctuation
- Figure 26: Market size of kitchen-based plumbing products, 2016-21
- Segmentation
- Figure 27: Segmentation of kitchen plumbing products, 2021 (£ million)
- Market forecast
- Figure 28: Forecast market size for kitchen-based plumbing products, 2021-26
- Market background
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Market Drivers
- Overview
- Inflation is the key concern for consumers and brands…
- … and will weigh down the post-COVID-19 recovery
- Consumer spending power will be curbed
- The conflict in Ukraine is hurting the UK economy in a number of ways
- Employment has held up better than expected
- Consumers’ financial wellbeing has fallen from the highs of 2021…
- Figure 29: Household financial wellbeing index, 2016-2022
- …and most people are feeling the effects of price rises
- New housebuilding
- Figure 30: Housing completions in England, by sector, 1978-2021
- Housing stock
- Volume
- Figure 31: Number of UK households, 1991-2021
- Geographical distribution
- Figure 32: UK housing stock, by region, 2021 (000s)
- Factors impacting investment decisions
- Interest rates
- Figure 33: Bank rate, by date of adjustment, 2009-22
- House prices
- Figure 34: House price inflation, 2006-22
- Housing transactions
- Figure 35: Residential property transactions in the UK, by country, 2006-2022 (number)
- Home ownership
- Figure 36: The impact of housing tenure on bathroom facilities, 2019
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- Figure 37: The impact of housing tenure on kitchen replacements, 2019
- Home improvement activity
- Figure 38: Home improvements identified as still needed, 2019/20
- Trade refurbishment – public housing
- Figure 39: The public housing RMI construction market, 2016-21
- Trade refurbishment – private housing
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- Figure 40: The private housing RMI construction market, 2016-21
- DIY activity
- Non-residential applications
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- Figure 41: New construction activity in selected public and private commercial and industrial sectors, 2015-21 (£ billion)
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Industry Structure
- Plumbing
- Figure 42: Development of plumbing and heat and air-conditioning installing companies, 2016-2020
- Figure 43: Structure of the plumbing and heat and air-conditioning installation industry, 2020
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- Figure 44: Development of the central heating radiators and boilers industry, 2016-21
- Bathroom products
- Figure 45: Development of the ceramic bathroom products industry, 2016-21
- Figure 46: Development of the other fabricated metal products industry, 2016-21
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- Figure 47: Development of the other plastic building products industry, 2016-21
- Kitchen furniture
- Figure 48: Development of the kitchen furniture industry, 2016-21
- The heating industry
- Figure 49: Development of the central heating radiators and boilers industry, 2016-21
- Plumbing
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Company Profiles
- Bathroom products
- Geberit
- Activity
- Performance
- Figure 50: Turnover development of Geberit, 2016-21
- Figure 51: Turnover breakdown of Geberit, 2021
-
- Figure 52: Turnover segmentation of Geberit, by activity, 2021
- Strategy
- Ideal Standard (UK)
- Activity
- Performance
- Figure 53: Financial performance of Ideal Standard (UK), 2017-21 (£ 000)
- Strategy
- Kohler Mira
- Activity
- Performance
- Figure 54: Financial performance of Kohler Mira, 2016-20 (£ 000)
- Strategy
- Norcros
- Activity
- Performance
- Figure 55: Financial performance of Norcros, 2018-22 (£ million)
- Figure 56: UK turnover segmentation of Norcros, 2022 (£ million)
- Strategy
- Heating
- Purmo Group UK – previously Rettig (UK)
- Activity
- Performance
- Figure 57: Financial performance of Purmo Group UK, 2016-20 (£ 000)
- Strategy
- Resideo Technologies
- Activity
- Performance
- Figure 58: Financial performance of Resideo Technologies, 2018-21 ($ million)
- Figure 59: Segmentation of Resideo Technologies products and solutions revenues, 2021 ($ million)
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- Figure 60: Segmentation of ADI Global Distribution revenues, 2021 ($ million)
- Strategy
- Vaillant Group
- Activity
- Performance
- Figure 61: Financial performance of Vaillant Group UK, 2016-20 (£ 000)
- Strategy
- Fittings and pipes
- Mueller Europe
- Activity
- Performance
- Figure 62: Financial performance of Mueller Europe, 2016-20 (£ million)
- Strategy
- Genuit Group (formerly Polypipe Group)
- Activity
- Performance
- Figure 63: Financial performance of Genuit Group, 2017-21 (£ million)
- Figure 64: Turnover segmentation of Genuit Group, 2021
- Strategy
- Wavin
- Activity
- Performance
- Figure 65: Financial performance of Wavin, 2016-20 (£ million)
- Strategy
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Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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Appendix: Forecast Methodology
- Market forecast and prediction intervals
- Figure 66: Market forecast for plumbing products, 2021-26 (£ million)
- Market drivers and assumptions
- Figure 67: Key economic drivers, 2016-26
- Forecast methodology
- Market forecast and prediction intervals
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