#1 – Searching or browsing the entire report library

The new version of AMA Research Interactive offers an improved search function to make it easier to navigate through to reports you may be interested in. Typing in a keyword should automatically bring up the reports of interest to you - the system automatically searches inside reports as well as report titles and keywords.

Advanced filter options include:

     

• Search by report category/sector – i.e. bathroom, furniture etc.
• Search by publication date/age of report.
• Search by content type – i.e. figures, tables or text.
• Search by status – normal, archived or coming soon.

You can easily browse the most recent reports on the ‘New Reports’ tab on the home page, and in the drop-down menu you can see your recently viewed reports.

Other chapters in this article series include:

AMA Research Interactive - More than just a delivery platform
#1 – Searching or browsing the entire report library
#2 – Managing personal details and resetting your password
#3 - Translating reports into another language
#4 – Exporting table data into MS Excel
#5 – Exporting the web version of the report into MS Word
#6 – Creating custom reports
#7 – Viewing and downloading historical data and previous editions

AMA Research Interactive – more than just a delivery platform

Regular visitors to AMA Research Interactive will have used it already, but if you haven’t logged in to your account for a while, you may not be aware that we upgraded the software on 1st April this year. 

As well as having had a facelift in terms of design and layout, a number of useful features have also been improved or added to the site including:

• Ability to manage your own password 
• Improved search and navigation features

• Ability to create, edit and manipulate your own customised reports online, including commenting and sharing with colleagues

• More flexible way of working with PDFs
• Option to export data into excel
• Option to translate reports into different languages



We hope that you will find the new version more user-friendly and that you will benefit from the new features that have been added to the AMA Research Interactive site. 

The link to access the site is: www.amaresearch-interactive.co.uk/Account/Login. You may also view the marketing pages using the guest login. If you have forgotten your login details, just get in touch on 01242 235724 or send an email to sales@amaresearch.co.uk. 

Outlined in this article series are a few of the useful features of AMA Research Interactive that you may not be familiar with, including:

#1 – Searching or browsing the entire report library
#2 – Managing personal details and resetting your password
#3 - Translating reports into another language
#4 – Exporting table data into MS Excel
#5 – Exporting the web version of the report into MS Word
#6 – Creating custom reports
#7 – Viewing and downloading historical data and previous editions

Look out for individual articles on the topics above, which will be published over the next few weeks.

Margins remain under pressure in the UK Contract Cleaning market

The market for contract cleaning services in the UK has seen low level growth over the past two years and is now worth around £5.5 billion. Though the market was affected by the economic downturn, it has benefited from increased standards in cleanliness demanded by key areas such as health and food hygiene. Many contract cleaning companies have reported relatively steady growth with further modest growth forecast until 2019 reflecting ongoing recovery in the economy and rising costs.

Contract cleaning is a mature and highly fragmented market, despite the high level of merger and acquisition activity that seems to have become an ongoing characteristic, and is one of the most competitive of all the contracted-out sectors. Despite the difficult economic climate over the last 5 years - and continued cuts across budgets in both the private and public sectors - the market has performed reasonably well compared to the wider FM and construction industry. The ‘commercial’ market (offices, retail etc) is the largest sector with an estimated 43% value share, with local authority and health also representing key sectors.

The UK market for non-domestic cleaning products, including equipment, materials and chemicals, has been largely flat in recent years and only modest growth is forecast for the 2015-2019 period. Key trends in this sector include; increasing development of antibacterial products, in particular in the healthcare, food preparation and hospitality sectors, growth in the powered cleaning machine sector, greater focus on improving efficiency and increased automation of cleaning processes, increase in daytime cleaning. The market continues to be strongly driven by legislation and higher standards for cleanliness, hygiene and health and safety.

One of the major issues facing the industry is the recent announcement of the Government’s Living Wage, which means that over 25’s will receive an hourly wage rate of £7.20 per hour from April 2016 rising to over £9.00 per hour by 2020. While some of these costs will be absorbed, the rise is substantial and will have a major impact on the contract cleaning industry where average pay rates are low and labour costs represent a high proportion of contract prices. As a result, this will inevitably drive the market upwards and is also likely to drive growth in the equipment sector as larger employers look to increase productivity levels to offset higher labour costs.

The provision of ‘one-stop shop’ solutions and bundled services has become an increasingly more attractive option, particularly for larger clients. The economic downturn also increased pressure on companies to improve their operational efficiencies and control costs. It seems likely that demand for bundled services contracts will continue to be a strong driving force in the market over the next few years. It has already become a key factor behind the number of acquisitions of single service providers by FM companies, particularly into specialist sectors such as energy management.

In addition, the drive towards more sustainable cleaning practices is a growing issue across the contract cleaning industry, driven by demand from clients keen to ensure that their corporate responsibility towards the sustainability agenda is met. As a result, cleaning firms have introduced a range of new ‘green’ measures in order to meet this growing area of demand, including daytime cleaning and more energy-efficient cleaning equipment. Daytime cleaning is now becoming more popular where a high standard of cleanliness is required in areas such as healthcare and offices.

“Cleaning is one of the most competitive of all contracted-out sectors, with profit margins under constant pressure, though the cleaning and support services industry is generally accepted to be more ‘recession proof’ than other sectors.” said Andrew Hartley, Director of AMA research, “It is a highly labour intensive industry and the introduction of the Living Wage with incremental increases is bound to have an impact on the market in the medium term, probably leading to a combination of rising contract values, reduced margins and greater investment in powered cleaning equipment and daytime cleaning.”

The ‘Contract Cleaning Market Report – UK 2015-2019 Analysis’ report is published by AMA Research, a leading provider of market research and consultancy services within the construction and home improvement markets. The report is available now and can be ordered online at www.amaresearch.co.uk or by calling 01242 235724.

Lighting Market Report - 5 Key Facts

Did you know that...

1. In 2013, the lighting market was estimated to be worth just under £1.65 billion at manufacturers selling prices (MSP)
2. Market prospects are good with 7-10% annual growth forecasts over the next 3 years.
3. In 2013, the lighting market was dominated by sales of luminaires, which also accounted for 61% of the market.
4. Lighting controls have experienced 59% growth to 2013, since 2009
5. The non-domestic sector dominates, accounting for 69% of the market by value, increasing in share due to the adoption of LED technology.

The ‘Lighting Market Report – UK 2014-2018 Analysis’ is published by AMA Research, a leading provider of market research and consultancy services with over 25 years’ experience within the construction and home improvement markets. The report is available now and can be ordered online at www.amaresearch.co.uk or by calling 01242 235724.

Home Extensions Market Report - 5 Key Facts

Did you know that...

1. The more positive economic outlook influenced the number of householder improvements granted, with a slight upturn in 2013 and a 3% uplift forecast for 2014.
2. Single storey extensions were estimated to account for around 37% of householder developments in 2013.
3. In terms of regions, England accounted for 89% of householder developments in 2013.
4. Roofing products used in the building extension sector account for around 11% of all materials used in this sector.
5. Solar thermal and photovoltaic and ground and air source heat pumps account for almost two thirds of heating and ventilation installations.

The ‘Home Extensions Market Report – GB 2014-2018 Analysis’ is published by AMA Research, a leading provider of market research and consultancy services with over 25 years’ experience within the construction and home improvement markets. The report is available now and can be ordered online at www.amaresearch.co.uk or by calling 01242 235724.

Upholstered Furniture and Beds Market - 5 Key Facts

Did you know that...

1) In 2014 the upholstered furniture market was worth an estimated £1.7bn (at MSP), with the domestic sector accounting for around 90% in value terms.

2) Sales of individual sofas have risen to some 27% of the market.

3) The value share of leather material finish increased rapidly in the period from 1999 to 2007, although share has fallen slowly more recently to around half the market.

4) Divans account for around 33% of the Beds market by value.

5) The non-domestic sector is estimated to account for 12% of the beds market by value.

These facts have been extracted from AMA Research's report 'Upholstered Furniture and Beds Market Report - UK 2014-2018 Analysis', available from www.amaresearch.co.uk or by calling 01242 235724.

Changing structure of the UK Highway Maintenance market

The Highway Maintenance market in the UK is both substantial and complex, and is a major part of UK infrastructure spending - though Government cutbacks have impacted on some sectors of the market.

However, the Government is showing signs of recognising the need to invest more in road building and other transport projects, and the poor winters over the last 2 years have generated some extra funding for mending potholes, the latter being a contentious issue at a local political level.

There is a complex structure of responsibility for maintenance of highways. Motorways and major trunk roads are managed by Highways England, while the remainder of the road network is managed by various classes of local authorities, who either undertake the work with direct works teams, or award contracts to contractors to undertake the work on their behalf. As the chart shows, the market is split between direct labour organisations which are part of the council, and long term contracts awarded to external organisations specialising in term maintenance contracts.

There has been some rationalisation of local government authorities in the last 40 years and the practice of local authorities awarding long term maintenance contracts has steadily increased since the 1970s. Early contracts were of a short duration and it was difficult to organise and generate a reasonable level of consistency and profitability, so contract periods have lengthened allowing the contractor a chance to invest in plant and equipment necessary for the contract, and as a result current contracts run from 3-5 years up to 25 year PFI contracts.

There has been a growth in contractor involvement in this market and companies such as Lafarge Tarmac, Amey, Ringway, Balfour Beatty, Kier etc. have taken many of these contracts in the last 20 years. As a result, as of mid-2015, some 50% of all authorities have now created long term contracts for maintaining highways in their areas, though the split varies significantly between types of authorities and regions of the country.

“Contractors with a more general construction background have been very active in recent years as they have recognised good opportunities in the highway maintenance sector” Said Andrew Hartley, Director of AMA Research. “Examples of construction companies that now have a considerable involvement in highway maintenance and the wider infrastructure market include Kier, which has acquired May Gurney and Mouchel, and Amey. We anticipate that other ‘traditional’ construction companies will enter this market in the next few years through acquisitions and partnerships.”

The government is keen to explore more opportunities to bring private finance and expertise into the road network. The national network is complete although there are plans to improve sections of motorways which are most heavily trafficked, but there is a need to improve the regional network by improving roads which link national network motorways and also improving local A roads. The government is examining the possibility of letting contracts in these areas which will embrace maintenance of existing roads and undertaking improvements, many of which are mentioned in the recently published DTP Road Investment Strategy. The combination of term maintenance contracts and new forms of regional contracts, and the anticipated increase in funding, should offer significant opportunities for the private sector.

The report also reviews some of the key product sectors, such as road surfacing materials (asphalt, macadams, aggregates etc),reinstatement products, street lighting etc., which are key components of the highways maintenance market

The ‘Highway Maintenance Market Report – UK 2015-2019 Analysis’ is published by AMA Research, a leading provider of market research and consultancy services with over 25 years’ experience within the construction and home improvement markets. The report is available now and can be ordered online at www.amaresearch.co.uk or by calling 01242 235724.

Consolidation activity continues in the Western European Electrical Wholesale market

The overall electrical wholesale market within the EU (excluding recent accession countries) is estimated to be worth around £26bn, with the market value having remained at a similar level since 2012 - though there have been significant changes within individual markets.

AMA’s new report focuses on developments in Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands and, while the EU economy as a whole is currently experiencing a difficult period, some of the largest electrical wholesale markets in Europe have generally performed reasonably well over the last 5-6 years. Germany is the largest market accounting for over 30% of sales in ‘Western Europe’, reflecting high specification standards and a strong manufacturing base requiring electrical components.

A key trend in the electrical wholesale market is ongoing rationalisation of wholesaling, with further acquisitions consolidating the dominant positions of Rexel and Sonepar across the major markets. It is becoming ever more difficult for the smaller, independent companies to compete in the market, with a high dependence on buying groups and few new entrants to the sector.

Positive influences in this market include growing investment in IT, growth of renewable energy initiatives. In particular, the increase in online activity is changing the electrical products distribution sector, as companies develop more of a multi-channel approach to targeting customers. However, in comparison to other sectors, E-commerce is underdeveloped in this market, though changing as electrical contractors overcome their traditional approach to product selection and ordering processes.

The electrical wholesale market in France is mature and the dominance of the two leading players means that major developments in market structure are unlikely, at least in the short term. Future prospects for the construction sector are not optimistic in the short term, but our forecasts are for a slight improvement in the electrical wholesale market value, based on some positive effect from legislation and the development of more complex technologies. Beyond 2015, a steady increase in the French electrical wholesale market is forecast as the construction market slowly begins to recover from the recession.

The German economy entered 2015 positively and our forecasts for the electrical wholesale market are for growth of around 2% in 2015/16, and beyond that even higher, assuming that the recovery in the economy is sustained. Sonepar, the market leader in Germany, continues to grow and to make acquisitions internationally. However, there is scope for further growth within the German electrical wholesaler market and it would seem likely that further acquisitions by nationals will continue to be made in coming years.

Our forecasts for 2015-17 for the electrical wholesale market in Belgium are for low levels of growth, reflecting the relatively flat economy and construction industry in general. The market has a dual structure, with two internationally active players accounting for around 70% of the market, and the remainder made up of independents. Although the regional split in the market is likely to continue, international groups will seeks expansion through acquisition and developing more formal cooperative groups between them.

The electrical wholesale market in the Netherlands is highly consolidated, with the leading international groups accounting for well over 70% of the market. In general terms, the market appears to have remained flat over the last 5 years, though this conceals several years of volatility – particularly in 2012/13 when there was a significant decline. Given a positive general economic background, with GDP growth rates of around 2% forecast respectively for 2015/16, prospects for construction markets are better than they have been for some time.

In summary, while 2015-16 is likely to be a difficult period for most European electrical wholesale markets, medium term prospects are generally relatively optimistic. Broadly, forecasts indicate modest recovery, reflecting a combination of increases in new housebuilding levels and a steady recovery in consumer spending feeding through into rising demand for electrical products in the medium term. New market opportunities are also emerging, with the electrical sector adopting variable levels of involvement in renewable energy, home automation etc., while IT/communications also continues to attract significant investment. Conversely, external threats to the sector have grown with a switch to offsite manufacturing in some countries and a growing focus on modularity in areas such as wiring and circuit breakers for example, which may impact on the role of wholesalers in some countries.

“A relatively low key but important development in the last year is that Sonepar have entered the UK market with the acquisition of Routeco in 2014” said Andrew Hartley, Director of AMA Research. “While this acquisition gives them only a small share at present, it seems likely that this will be a platform for further acquisitions in the medium term, and probably represents a key growth opportunity given their high shares in other EU markets.”

It is forecast that acquisitions will continue across all European markets, though at a slower rate than over recent years.

The ‘Electrical Wholesale Market Report - Western Europe 2015-2019 Analysis’ report is published by AMA Research, a leading provider of market research and consultancy services within the construction and home improvement markets. The report is available now and can be ordered online at www.amaresearch.co.uk or by calling 01242 235724.

Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Construction Sector - 5 Key Facts

Did you know that...

1) The UK ‘pharmaceutical sector’ is valued at over £50bn and includes medical technology, pharmaceuticals, medical/industrial biotechnology 

2)Construction work in the sector varies between regions reflecting the emergence of clusters.

3) Several major projects are in the pipeline with trends towards flexible and mobile laboratories and clean rooms.

4) Increasing specialisation in the sector offers good opportunities for value-added services.

5) Government support for the sector will ensure ongoing demand for new facilities.

These facts have been extracted from AMA Research's report 'Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Construction Sector Report - UK 2014-2018 Analysis', available from www.amaresearch.co.uk or by calling 01242 235724.

Household Textiles Market - 5 Key Facts

Did you know:


1) The UK household textiles market is worth over £1.4 billion.

2) Bed linen is the largest product sector, but filled products also accounts for over 30% of the market.


3) Duvet covers and sheets account for around 75% of the bed linen sector.


4) The market is fragmented with the top 6 suppliers accounting for around 30% of the market.


5) Distribution is also fragmented, with department/variety stores and independents/specialists accounting for a combined share of around 50%.


These facts have been extracted from AMA Research's report 'Household Textiles Market Report - UK 2014-2018 Analysis', available from www.amaresearch.co.uk or by calling 01242 235724.