Opinion


opinion // Michael Lloyd


Will the prices ever come down?


Most of the KBB industry accepts that annual price increases are simply a frustrating fact of life. However,


with prices rising higher and higher all the time, the Wetrooms Online managing director wonders how long we can go on before it all comes crashing down?


O


ver the recent bank holiday, I was sitting with a few friends when the inevitable question came up: “How’s business?”


We talked for a while about the state of trade,


the economy, and how different industries have coped over the last few years. Eventually, the conversation turned to Covid and the lasting effect it has had on businesses. Then one friend asked: “How did you cope with all the surcharges?”, and that simple question opened up a whole can of worms. Let’s rewind to 2019. Life was good. Businesses


were trading strongly and, generally speaking, most sectors within the KBB industry were performing well. Manufacturers, retailers, installers and suppliers all understood the rules of the game. There would typically be one price increase


each year. It might arrive in January, April or July, but it was predictable. Brochures were printed, price books were issued, and everyone knew where they stood. You could confidently quote a bathroom, kitchen or bedroom project knowing that the materials would cost the same when you came to place the order. Then 2020 arrived, and Covid changed


everything. It’s fair to say that none of us fully understood the scale of the disruption that was about to unfold. Within weeks of lockdown, suppliers and manufacturers started issuing price increase notices and changing trading terms. First came fuel surcharges of 3-5%. Then container shipping costs exploded. Containers


£


£


14


kbbreview


August 2026


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