By the time families had spent six weeks in lockdown, they were ready for a home improvement project. A new driveway? Garden paving to make the work-from-home view a little brighter?
The flurry of activity pushed sales at paving slabs manufacturer Marshalls back up to 94% of pre-Covid levels by July. By August, they had bounced back completely.
The rebound allowed the FTSE 250 company to announce last month that it would repay the £9.4m it accepted in government furlough cash. Returning the money will allow it to make any final dividend decision with a clear conscience.
Marshalls, based in Elland, West Yorkshire, specialises in selling paving slabs for gardens, driveways and big infrastructure projects such as Crossrail and HS2. Recent government announcements, such as