April saw our Managing Director, Alia, attend the Forum for the Built Environment’s (fbe) annual construction and property economic update, and the insights were eye-opening.  

The update, delivered by the Economics Director, Allan Wilen from Glenigan, provided an overarching update for the sector, as well as highlighting some key areas of growth, the impacts of Trump’s tariffs and which sectors are likely to experience significant growth.  

A summary of the key points below are included:  

• Overall economic outlook for this year and next is buoyant and positive despite some expected price volatility in the immediate future (as a result of the Trump tariffs).  
•  US tariff impact shouldn’t be too significant to the UK market overall, but could increase competition from those looking to divert stock away from the US. Pricing jobs, especially those with high steel usage (so most!), could prove to be trickier territory to remain competitive with expected cost fluctuations.  
•  Extended lead times for projects – we’ve seen this with our clients time and time again. There are more hoops to jump through, and the Building Safety Act is increasing complexity and delaying projects. A full pipeline and staying top of mind will be crucial here.  
•  Pressure on Government finances will be expected and trends for the next year will be very telling as it will  be attempting to balance the books and balance the need to borrow to invest in critical areas.  

SECTOR OUTLOOK:  

The fbe’s economic update highlighted a lot of positives across different sectors, including: 

• Student accommodation – This sector is still attracting significant investment. 

• Social housing – Social housing projects are beginning to pick up pace, which in turn will ease stock in private sector too. 

• Office refurbs and adaptations – These projects are on the rise to draw employees back into the office following the rise of hybrid working. Improving ESG creds is also driving office improvements. 

• Logistics – Projects within the logistics sector are continuing to gain investor interest as online shopping data is still tracking upwards. 

• Civil engineering – Huge opportunities lie within water industry upgrades, with significant amounts of work needed to deliver. The Government are likely to focus on getting projects moved forward following the rise in water bills for consumers. 

What this means for your marketing and comms?  

If you’re a business operating in the property and construction sector, then it’s likely that this year is going to be full of opportunities for you. However, with a lot of opportunities, comes stiff competition. Ensuring you’re top of mind, or the obvious choice, will be crucial to take advantage of what’s to come.  

Some areas to consider:  

• Messaging – Is your messaging doing what it needs to – are you clear on your ‘why’, is it clear who you want to work with and what you excel in?  

• Branding – Do you look the part as well as sound the part? Quite often your visual identity can undermine your efforts, so make sure it’s all aligned.  

• Website – Is your website technically up to scratch? We see all too often that a lot of effort can go into driving traffic towards a site, or that precious hours are spent on developing fantastic content, all for it to be not optimised properly.  

• External profile – no matter if in the media, across social channels or at speaker events or conferences, ensuring you’re banging the drum for your brand continuously is a must.  

Ready to grow but not sure your brand is keeping up? Speak to our team today.