The plans that Marshalls implemented last year to improve its landscaping arm are “gaining traction”, says chief executive Matt Pullen.

The appointment of Nick Platt as the new managing director for the landscaping division and the launch of Marshalls’ ‘Transform and Grow’ strategy in November, for instance, “will deliver a progressive and significant improvement in profitability.”

The hard landscaping material supplier has announced an 8% drop in revenue to £619m in its results for the year ended 31 December.

It had already revealed a drop in its landscaping revenue back in January, which it partly put down a lower demand from housebuilders.

Pullen says Marshalls expects a “market recovery” later this year, underpinned by the government’s continued commitment to boost housebuilding and invest in infrastructure.