WHAT’S NEW?


RETAILERS TURN TO TECH TO DIVERSIFY DURING


LOCKDOWN Technology is helping retailers stay in touch with their customers and keep the design process going when face- to-face meetings are not possible.


There can be no denying that the impact of the coronavirus pandemic has been huge for the retail sector, yet as shops close to encourage social distancing, retailers have been coming up with innovative ways to carry on with business.


As the nation adjusts to a way of life where staying in is the new going out for many of us, the UK is witnessing something of a DIY boom. Homeowners are turning their attention to home improvement tasks that they may not normally


have time for, particularly in the kitchen and bathroom.


In an effort to support this DIY effort, retailers are turning to technology so that they can continue to support their customers while following social distancing guidelines and avoiding face-to-face contact. Some kitchen and bathroom retailers, for example, are using Virtual Worlds software to carry out virtual design consultations.


Virtual Worlds Managing Director Nathan Maclean said: “Just as estate agents are now offering virtual staging while physical property viewings are not possible, so designers can embrace the latest 3D and 4D design software to involve customers in the planning process of their new bathroom and kitchen.”


www.virtualworlds.co.uk/


GOVERNMENT SHOULD SET


PAYMENT EXAMPLE The government should ensure its construction supply chains are paid promptly and sub-contractors receive retention payments during the Covid-19 crisis, according to a member of the Construction Leadership Council (CLC).


Ann Bentley, Global Board Director of the consultant Rider Levett Bucknall, told a webinar hosted by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) that both public and private sector clients should be ensuring cash was available to SMEs to help them survive the current upheaval.


“The CLC has put pressure on government departments to show the way on payment,” she said. “While the initial reaction was supportive there has been some rowing back with bureaucracy coming into the conversation, which is disappointing.”


The CLC wrote to the Prime Minister at the beginning of April urging him to instruct clients to release £4.5bn, which is currently being withheld from contractors in the form of retention payments, to help relieve some of the cash flow pressures building up in supply chains.


“We feel government departments should be setting a good example,” she told BESA Chief Executive David Frise, who chaired the webinar. “After all, the amount of money held in retentions is several magnitudes smaller than what the government is spending on furloughed workers.”


NEW WEBSITE FOR


KERAKOLL PRODUCTS The Kerakoll Group has just launched a brand-new website for its products, available in different versions tailored to the market in which the visitor works.


The site is designed to be easy to use on all devices, including mobiles for easy reference on site. It is split into product categories such as


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Substrate Preparation and Tiling, with subcategories for adhesives, grout and so on.


Each of the product descriptions has links to related technical documentation, brochures and videos, so that everything is available in one place and can be accessed quickly and simply.


https://products.kerakoll.com


Ms Bentley also told the webinar that the Cabinet Office was working on plans for the economic recovery with construction at the forefront. The CLC is lobbying for a quick return of major infrastructure projects as these will have multiple knock-on benefits for society and the wider economy.


“Equally, there are lots of smaller projects that could get up and running very quickly and these will be an important part of the wider economic recovery,” she said.


thebesa.com/covid19 www.tomorrowstileandstone.co.uk


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