Ask The Manufacturer


ASK THE MANUFACTURER Adapting to change


Though the construction industry is now back on site, Covid-19 has not left it unscarred. AO.com managing director Anthony Sant speaks to HMM Features Editor Jack Wooler on how the virus has brought supply to the fore, and what the company has learned during the pandemic


A


s in all areas of life, the Coronavirus pandemic has introduced many challenges to the construction industry during recent months, and has highlighted both strengths and weaknesses across the board.


One of the most discussed has been supply chains, which have been highly


disrupted for much of the sector, including landlords and housing associations. “Let’s make no bones about it, the Covid-19 situation has been an


extraordinary challenge for the entire construction sector,” begins Anthony Sant, managing director of AO Business UK - the B2B arm of online electricals retailer AO.com. “Suddenly, when lockdown was introduced, businesses were told they’d have to stop working; for some companies, it was not as easy as just picking back up where they left off.” AO.com however was in the very “fortunate position” of being deemed essential by the government - “you’ve got to have a fridge,” notes the MD, “you


As in all areas of life, the Coronavirus pandemic has introduced many challenges to the construction industry during recent months, and has highlighted both strengths and weaknesses across the board


need to wash your clothes, you need to cook” - and as such has been open throughout the pandemic. It’s this position that Anthony believes has provided the company with a “unique insight” into post-Covid supply.


24 | HMM October/November 2020 | www.housingmmonline.co.uk


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