Sales have taken a dip at Travis Perkins in the first quarter.

Sales were down 3.7%, due to weakness in the new-build housing sector and a fall in domestic repair and maintenance, as reported by The Times.

The builders' merchant, which has stores in Gloucester, Cheltenham, Cirencester, Stroud, Bourton-on-the-Water, Tewkesbury, Moreton-in-Marsh, Cinderford and Lydney, reported that sales in its merchanting section were down 4.4% for the three months to the end of March.

Travis Perkins' previous forecast of annual adjusted operating profit of between £160m and £180m has stayed the same.