May 2019

Growth slowed but held above forecast

Q1 GROWTH SLOWED BUT HELD ABOVE FORECAST AS CONFIDENCE DEFIED NEGATIVE EXPECTATIONS - FORECASTS SUBDUED FOR Q2

The first quarter of 2019 experienced a slowdown in growth, following Q4's seasonal boost - however, the drop-off was not quite as extensive as the expectations for Q1 suggested it might be. Forecasts for Q2 suggest growth will be maintained but it will be at a further reduced level.

The latest Printing Outlook survey shows 43% of printers increased output levels in the first quarter of 2019. A further 32% held output steady whilst 25% experienced a decline in output.

The resulting balance (the difference between the ups and the downs) was +18, a significant decline following the seasonal boost from Q4 but not an unexpected one. In fact, Q1 has performed slightly better than forecasted (the forecasted balance was +13).

In Printing Outlook this quarter:

• BPIF Brexit Barometers - to gauge and monitor confidence during Brexit negotiations and forecast conditions after Brexit.
• UK Printing and Packaging trends and forecasts - confidence, costs, pay reviews, capacity, productivity, margins, paper consumption, ink sales volumes, a new industry financial health analysis, insolvency statistics and more.
• Data, forecasts and commentary on the UK economy and the advertising sector.

Thanks to all survey respondents for their participation, Printing Outlook continues to achieve an excellent response rate.

Sponsorship from Konica Minolta means all respondents will receive a printed copy of Printing Outlook. Please respond to the next survey in July to ensure that you receive your copy in the future.

The full Printing Outlook report is available as a free download to BPIF members using the 'More on Printing Outlook' web link below.

There is also an unrestricted press release available on the download link below.