NEW research has revealed that sales of construction and earthmoving equipment in the UK fell by 7.4% in the third quarter of the year, compared with the same period in 2018.
This follows falls of 1.2% in Q1 and 5.4% in Q2 respectively, meaning sales in the first nine months of the year are 4.8% below last year’s levels.
The Construction Equipment Association (CEA) said sales were expected to decline this year after reaching ‘peak level’ in 2018. However, they have also suffered from market uncertainty due to Brexit and a lack of clarity over the future of major infrastructure projects such as HS2.
In the first nine months of 2019 equipment sales reached 25,700 units, which is still relatively high levels compared with earlier years.
The fall in equipment sales has been led by mini/midi excavators and crawler excavators, which showed reductions in sales of 11% and 2%, respectively.
The strongest sales amongst high volume equipment types have been experienced by telehandlers, up 9% on 2018 levels.
Sales of some smaller volume items have also been strong, including skid steer loaders, wheeled excavators and crawler dozers. The weakest sales this year have been for compaction rollers, reflecting poor demand from the road sector.
