UK retail sales of construction and earthmoving equipment in the second quarter of 2024 were up 17% on the first quarter but still 25% below the level reached in Q2 2023.
June saw close to 2,800 units sold but this was still 22% below levels in the same period in 2023.
As a result, sales in Q2 reached over 7,500 units compared with only 6,400 in the first quarter of this year.
Overall, sales in the first half of 2024 were 30% below 2023 levels.
However, 2023 sales were unusually strong, according to Systematics International, which gathers the data for the Construction Equipment Association. A pick-up in sales seen in May and June has taken levels above the long-term average.
Equipment sales in the Republic of Ireland are also reported in the statistics exchange. Sales there in June were 28% above 2023 levels. As a result, Q2 sales ended up over 8% above 2023 levels, and sales in the first half of the year were only 4% below last year’s levels.
