Almost eight in ten contractors (79 per cent) in the electrical and building services industries say turnover has increased or remained steady in the third quarter of 2015, according to a new study from the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA). The ECA’s Quarterly Business Trends Survey (QBTS) for the third quarter of 2015 also found that:
Firms with turnover of £1m to £5m were the biggest winners, with over eight in ten (84pc) seeing turnover increase or steady in Q3, up 10 per cent on the previous quarter. Larger contractors (turnover over £5m) had very similar results to Q2, with nearly seven in ten firms (69pc) reporting a rise in turnover. However, firms with turnover £200k to £1m had a mixed third quarter, with an increase in both the number of contractors reporting a rise – and fall – in turnover.
ECA Director of Business and External Affairs Paul Reeve said: “These survey results suggest that, overall, electrical and building services firms are doing more business, with the biggest increase among the larger firms. Yet bearing in mind where the industry has been in recent times, the overall picture, while positive, is far from spectacular.”
Looking to the final quarter of 2015, seven out of ten respondents expect to see turnover increase or stay the same as in Q3. However, this is slightly less optimistic than respondents in the previous quarter.
Reeve added: “We will be looking to gather additional data soon, but the current responses strongly suggest there is more growth in turnover to come, but also that the rate of improvement may start to level off sooner than we would hope.”
