Plumbing and bathroom installers are moving through 2026 with workloads holding steady, but under increasing financial pressure from tighter margins and more cautious customers. 

TradeBrain’s Q4 2025 Pulse survey of 2,080 tradespeople highlights that while demand remains resilient and typical day rates sit between £150 and £249, rising material and tool costs are affecting 63% of the trade, restricting real income growth. Notably, almost one in three installers now report uncertainty over what their next job will actually be worth, reinforcing that the key challenge is no longer securing work, but ensuring its profitability.

Against this backdrop, bathroom and plumbing work is becoming more closely tied to the “small jobs economy.” February 2026’s Monthly Insight, based on 254 tradespeople, shows that small repairs and callouts account for the largest share of work at 31.1%. When combined with routine maintenance and refurbishment or renovation projects, these smaller-scale jobs make up nearly 40% of all activity. For many plumbers and bathroom installers, this means a shift away from large, high-value projects towards a steady flow of fixes, replacements and incremental upgrades.

For independent plumbers’ merchants and bathroom showrooms, this evolving landscape presents both challenges and opportunities. Installers carrying out more frequent, smaller jobs rely heavily on merchants for quick access to products, dependable availability and knowledgeable support. Being part of a buying group such as The IPG enhances this position, providing stronger purchasing power, access to trusted suppliers and the backing needed to remain competitive.

At The IPG, we know that success in this environment will depend on supporting our members with well-stocked ranges of competitively priced products, to help their customers maximise value on every job. We are as committed as ever to ensuring our members can protect margins, strengthen customer loyalty and drive consistent repeat business leveraging the scale and support that being part of a buying group provides to merchants and showrooms alike.