Sales in UK construction and manufacturing were up 7% year-on-year in Q4 of 2013 and the decorative and industrial coatings sectors also performed well.
In the decorative sector, trade paint sales increased for the eighth month in a row with volumes in the last quarter up 11% on 2012, boosted by the continued recovery in the housing and construction markets. These results from the British Coatings Federation (BCF) mirror improvements in construction products in general, where growth has increased sharply in recent months and where the outlook remains upbeat for 2014.

The BCF said Q4's numbers significantly outperform the overall output numbers for the economy in the same period; it said this adds to the view that the UK economy is beginning to turn a corner, despite printing ink and wallcoverings sales remaining subdued.

Consumer confidence has also improved in recent months and this is now being reflected in the hard pressed retail paint sector, which is also beginning to show some encouraging increases in recent months, with the last quarter as a whole up 5% on a year ago.

On the industrial coatings side, the picture is mixed but there have been increases in five of the past six months after a very difficult start to 2013. Sales litreage in December was up 9% and by 2.5% for the last quarter as a whole, being broadly in line with the growth in UK manufacturing output which is now also showing more steady growth.

Tom Bowtell, ceo of the BCF, said: "The British Coatings Federation statistics provide a unique barometer for the UK economy, and overall we are outperforming the general manufacturing output numbers with this performance, which should warm the hearts of even the most pessimistic amongst us."