Cement sales set to increase

The UK cement market will grow 11% by 2008 with annual sales of £950.8m, according to the latest report from Market & Business Development (MBD).
Real growth is anticipated within the cement market for each year of the forecast period (2004-2008) and is expected to take sales from £859.3m in 2004 to £950.8m by 2008, representing an overall growth of 11%.
The UK market for ready mixed concrete products is expected to increase by 4% in the first year of the forecast period to a level of £1,299m. However, subsequent year-on-year decline is anticipated for the remainder of the forecast period, reducing sales of ready mixed concrete products to £1,223.4m in 2008.
Steady growth has been a feature of the concrete and concrete products market between 1999 and 2002 and MBD expects this trend to continue this year.
MBD believes that growth of 2% will take the total value of the market to £4,254.3m by the end of the year.