N E W S R E L E A S E
DATE: May 16, 2013
CONTACT: Jim Groff
717.852.4842
WOLF RELEASES KEY BUYER INDEX (KBI) FOR MAY 2013
Sustained KBI score reflects continued optimism heading into summer
(York, Pa.) — WOLF, the largest supplier of kitchen cabinets in the U.S. and a leading provider of building products in 28 states along the East Coast, today reported the findings of the WOLF Key Buyer Index (KBI) for May.
The May KBI score of 72.67 reflects virtually no change from the April KBI of 73.67. The fact that the score remains at this level suggests that building materials buyers at selected independent LBM dealers in the eastern United States are holding fast to their optimism about the residential construction industry in that region.
WOLF developed KBI, a proprietary metric that offers a monthly snapshot of independent dealers’ sentiments, to provide a concrete measure of how building materials buyers see the near-term future of their industry. WOLF gathers data for the KBI from a monthly survey of key buyers at independent building materials dealers across 21 states. A WOLF KBI score of 50 reflects a neutral outlook; a score above 50 reflects a positive outlook; and a score below 50 reflects a negative outlook.
Buyer sentiment is equally bullish in both of WOLF’s traditional markets (the Northeast and Middle Atlantic States). On the building product side, Northeastern buyers returned a KBI score of 78.57 while their Middle Atlantic counterparts returned an even more optimistic score of 80.00. On the Kitchen and bath side, meanwhile, Northeastern buyers returned a KBI score of 83.33 while kitchen and bath buyers in the Middle Atlantic region returned a score of 72.73.
On the whole, the KBI indicates a continued bullishness on the part of residential construction material buyers as to the state of the residential construction activity in the markets they serve. The high KBI scores show that key buyers expect this industry to remain strong at least through the month of May in the Northeast and Middle Atlantic states.
For more information on the WOLF Key Buyer Index, read the detailed explanation on Tom Wolf’s blog or see the latest KBI score at www.wolfleader.com.
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About WOLF WOLF provides kitchen and bath cabinetry and building materials, marketing and sales support and financial services exclusively to independent dealers in 28 states in the Eastern and Midwestern U.S. Since its founding in 1843, York, Pa.-based WOLF has evolved into a sourcing company that offers American-made, WOLF-branded products and other high-quality product lines. Learn more about WOLF at www.wolfleader.com and www.wolfhomeproducts.com.
