UK house price fall 'at a record'

The figures are the latest to show a fall in the housing market

UK house prices showed their biggest annual fall since the Nationwide began its housing survey in 1991.

The 8.1% annual decline came after house prices dropped by 1.7% in July, the building society said.

The average home now costs £169,316 which is nearly £15,000 cheaper than in the same month last year.

The Nationwide survey found that house prices have fallen for nine months in a row and were at their lowest level since August 2006.

Property prices were still £11,000 higher than three years ago, the survey found.

"The weakening economy and poor housing market sentiment do not suggest that the market will recover quickly," said Fionnuala Earley, Nationwide 's chief economist.

Sellers were remaining reluctant to accept lower offers, which along with lack of availability of mortgages was pushing down house purchase activity.

Burmatex triumphs at Mixology 08

Burmatex is still celebrating its ‘New Market Breakthrough’ win for its activities in the Architect and Design sector at the Mix Interiors Summer Ball and Awards, which took place on 18th June at Old Billingsgate Market.

The Mixology Awards concentrate on the office interiors market and are judged by an independent panel of architects, specifiers and design consultants. Judged on merit regardless of company size or reputation, the awards have earned a solid reputation as an industry benchmark, reinforcing the positive impression Burmatex has made in recent times on the A&D community with the launch of its stunning new portfolios.

Over the past two years, Burmatex has equipped itself with the tools needed to successfully enter and grow in the specification market which, in addition to exciting new products, also includes new shadecards, presentation boards, and strengthening of the design team, headed by creative director Darren Clanford, with the appointment of a head of design, Sarah Ludlam, and two field design consultants, Alastair and Louise. To demonstrate further commitment, Burmatex put its products through the BRE’s rigorous ecopoint profiling system in early 2006, achieving ‘A’ ratings for all manufactured products, and even created new and unique structure-bonded® products that have subsequently been patented and are redefining the perception of carpet tiles.

October 2007, saw the launch of five new products aimed specifically at architects, designers and specifiers, Zip, Code, Vibe, Spin and Axis. Furthermore, for the first time in its history, Burmatex exhibited at Design Prima 2008 in June. It showcased the second phase of its new product portfolio, the Evolve collection – a seven product, high end specification collection, comprising the products Anyway Urban, Anyway Skyline, Scan, Mood, Fuse, Shift and Axis.

In the last year alone, the number of visitors from the A&D community to Burmatex’s renowned design studio at its base in Ossett has increased significantly, and the in-house desi

Worst housing slump since 1945

New housing starts this year are forecast to be down 20% on last year's figures, making 2008 the worst year for housebuilding since 1945 according to the latest forecasts from the Construction Products Association (CPA), who took the extraordinary step of re-calling and re-issuing their five year construction industry forecasts in the light of the credit crunch.

Chris Pateman, MD of the Builders Merchants Federation, commented: "It comes as no great surprise to see new housebuilding projected to slump this year. We knew from first quarter brick and block sales that the sector was in decline - although -20% is a shocking figure to see put down in black and white! Of course, if housebuilders were willing to work on the kind of margins they expect from their suppliers, we'd all be building like there's no tomorrow.
"It's a matter of great concern to see how weak the housing RMI sector is forecast to be. Conventional wisdom in a tight housing market is that people don't move, they improve - but not this time, by the look of things. Most merchants have been anticipating similar levels of activity to last year, but its worrying to see a projected 4% decline in 2009 on what are already pretty depressed trading levels, as the effects of the credit crunch feed into consumer disposable income. Two years of projected negative growth in public sector housing refurbishment projects only adds to the gloom."

Professional Builders Merchant - July/August 2008

The Big Launch - Welcome to one and all

Multiwork is proud to announce the launch of it's unique website. For over 2 years now we have been perfecting this website to make it simple and easy to use, yet at a cost that is acceptable to everyone. For the minimal cost we charge, you will gain access to workers and work that you knew nothing about. You will be able to rate and recommend members once you have worked with them. You will have the peace of mind that there is a bank of work and workers at the click of a button, wherever and whenever you choose. All in all we offer you the chance to make your life in subcontracting that little bit easier.

As a special offer and for a limited time only, we are offering you free activation and 100 free credits to help you get on your way. Soon you will be wondering just how you managed without Multiwork.

For now may we thank you for registering and we hope you continually enjoy the service we provide.

The Multiwork Team

CEF lead the way with easyWEEE

Electrical and electronic waste is now the fastest growing waste stream in the UK with approximately 1.8 million tonnes generated per year.

The aim of The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations is to improve the recovery and recycling rates of these products and reduce / minimise the amount of this waste that is currently deposited in landfill.

CEF, the UK’s fastest growing electrical wholesaler, is currently leading the way in meeting government targets with their new easyWEEE initiative. CEF believe that one of the biggest problems to date encountered is the collection and transportation of WEEE. With a growing fleet of over 700 vehicles it is easy to see why CEF are becoming one of the main service providers for the recycling of B2B WEEE in the UK.

To find out more about the CEF easyWEEE initiative and how to get started click the link below:

http://www.cef.co.uk/weee/index.html