Three shifts are worth a tiler’s attention this month: a new trade app from the country’s biggest tile retailer, materials that keep getting dearer, and a merchant sector bracing for a softer year. Here is what changed and why it matters when you are pricing work.
Topps Tiles launches a Trade app
Topps Tiles has rolled out a dedicated Trade app, built with the mobile consultancy Apadmi, pulling real-time stock across its 280-plus stores, trade-only pricing and its loyalty rewards into one place on iOS and Android. For a tiler that means checking whether the adhesive or trim you need is in the nearest branch before you drive there, and pricing a job from the van between calls. Installer Online reports the launch.
Building materials are about 6% dearer than a year ago
The government’s latest building materials figures show prices for all construction work were roughly 6% higher in June 2026 than a year earlier, and still drifting up month on month. Adhesives, backer boards, screeds and trims all sit inside that trend, so a figure you quoted in spring may not hold by autumn. It is worth adding a little headroom to your material lines and putting a date on every quote. See the government commentary.
Merchants brace for a softer 2026
The Builders Merchants Federation has downgraded its 2026 forecast for building materials sales from growth of 2.3% to a fall of 1.8%, blaming weak consumer confidence and a stagnant repair and maintenance market. For tilers that points to more competition for the work that is out there, which makes reviews, referrals and a visible portfolio matter more than ever this year. The Builders Merchants Journal has the detail.