Of the four hardware stores in the survey, Pupkewitz emerged cheapest store for June 2024.
This is according to The Brief’s survey which is conducted every month, started in June last year with an aim to assess a basket of similar hardware items that customers would probably purchase in a month. The survey is carried out across four hardware stores in Windhoek, namely; Build It, BUCO, Pupkewitz Megabuild and Ark Trading.
The survey aims to provide shoppers with guidance on which hardware wholesaler offers the cheapest basket of building materials for that particular month. Moreover, an analysis of changes in the basket is carried out to provide overall basket and item variations month on month.
The basket contains these items:
● Roofing Galvanised IBR
● Copper Tube 460 Class 0
● Aluminium Window (Bronze)
● Aluminium Sliding Door (Bronze)
● Brick 7MPA
● Brickforce 150 MM 15M ROLL
● Brickforce 75MM 15M ROLL
● Lintel concrete 1,200X110X75MM
● Lintel concrete 1,800X110X75MM
● Lintel concrete 900X110X75MM
● Ceiling Board 1,200X3,000X6.4MM
● Door Frame Steel 813X2,032X115X1MM
● Two-lever Lockset
● Hardboard Interior Door 813X2,032MM
● Ohorongo Cement 32.5
● Ohorongo Cement 42.5
● 20-litre Paint
In June 2024, the survey noted a year-to-year decrease in the basket across all surveyed stores.
Pupkewitz emerged as June’s cheapest hardware/construction store, with the basket showing a 4.15% month-on-month decrease and a 20.99% year-on-year decrease.
The items contributing to the month-on-month decrease include Roofing Galvanised IBR, which decreased from N$668.99 to N$654.99, Copper Tube 460 Class O, which decreased from N$598.99 to N$569.00, and Aluminium Window (Bronze), which decreased from N$947.84 to N$889.00.
Build It secured second place, exhibiting a 4.78% month-on-month increase and a 14.98% year-on-year decrease.
Items contributing to the month-on-month increase include Roofing Galvanised IBR, which increased from N$645.60 to N$665.53, Aluminium Sliding Door, which increased from N$2,399.99 to N$2,684.27, and the Steel Door Frame, which increased from N$529.82 to N$570.57.
BUCO came in third with a 1.36% month-on-month decrease and a 1.75% year-on-year decrease.
Notable decreases included the Roofing Galvanised IBR, which decreased from N$729.00 to N$697.34, the Aluminium Sliding Door (Bronze), which decreased from N$2,849.00 to N$2,754.18, and the Aluminium Window (Bronze), which decreased from N$1,099.00 to N$1,046.09.
Ark Trading was the least affordable, with a basket increase of 10.63% month-on-month and an 8.55% year-on-year decrease.
Items causing the month-on-month basket increase included Roofing Galvanised IBR, which increased from N$654.75 to N$684.31, Copper Tube, which increased from N$573.49 to N$643.37, and the Aluminium Bronze Sliding Door, which increased from N$2,627.58 to N$3,005.25.
Focusing on the Hardboard Interior Door 813X2032MM commodity for the month, BUCO offered the lowest average price at N$325.03.
Pupkewitz followed with an average price of N$375.23, offering the lowest price of N$258.99 over the last two months.
Build It came in third with an average price of N$376.88, and Ark Trading was the most expensive at an average of N$417.23.
*Note: The list of products we collect is limited and not intended to be an absolute measure of affordability. We aim for products to be broadly comparable.
In almost all cases it is possible to find any of these products at a cheaper price or to find cheaper alternatives, depending on location or time of month. Our sample is intended to simply reflect the total price of the cart in a single visit on a particular day.