Travis Perkins warns of cement shortages

Travis Perkins Chief Operating Officer, Frank Elkins, has warned that around 40% of the group’s branches are experiencing cement shortages. He recommends that businesses give the builders’ merchant as much notice as possible regarding the products and materials they require, in order to help Travis Perkins to plan and secure the materials.

Elkins is reported to have said: “At present 207 of our 550 branches don’t have enough cement to supply all our customers needs. There is also not enough plasterboard being made due to a shortage of paper needed to line the boards and aggregate supplies are a concern.”

In an interview with Construction News, Elkins recommended businesses give the builders’ merchant as much notice as possible about their requirements. He said: “The best thing you can do is plan forward. If you can give us good advance warning in terms of the products and materials you require, then we can plan and make sure we secure that material for you. If somebody rocks up and wants a pallet of cement today, that’s going to be quite challenging. But if I’ve got two or three weeks’ notice, I can definitely plan for that.”

At the start of June, Travis Perkins raised the price of a number of products, passing down to customers the higher costs from the supply chain. This included the price of bagged cement increasing by 15%, white chipboard by 10% and paint by 5%.

Elkins said: “We’ve been really proactive in trying to communicate with our customers that these price increases are coming, working with suppliers as much as we can to minimise price increases and the effect of that on our customer base.”