The UK shopfitting industry has mixed expectations for 2004, according to research from Plimsoll Publishing.
In a poll of 1,000 companies, 36 per cent are showing 'unprecedented confidence' about their prospects in the coming year. Of those predicting good times, the average anticipated increase is 10 per cent, with margins running at about 7.5 per cent.
However, significantly more shopfitters foresee a steady state, with neither growth nor decline, and margins close to the industry average of 2.9 per cent.
The report also states that nearly a fifth of those polled see continued trouble ahead as they carry the financial difficulties of 2003 into the New Year. Plimsoll estimates that sales for these companies could drop by as much as 10 per cent, a figure likely to make their survival touch and go.
Commenting on industry consolidation, Plimsoll senior analyst David Pattison said: 'The evolution that is happening in the marketplace is unrelenting. There are those that will get sold, and for others it's a matter of how long they can hang on. Next year will be a torrid time for many.'
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