NEWS | Round-up VIEWPOINT
Retailers need to adapt quickly
KBSA national chair Richard Hibbert considers the challenges of Brexit and how the year ahead may look for the KBB industry
Quooker joins BiKBBI with six-figure boost for apprenticeships
Many retailers have embraced the virtual world much sooner
AS WE move into 2021, the uncertainty that was ever present in 2020 is set to continue. Brexit has moved on, with the agreement of a trade deal, which is welcome, but details are still emerging. We have been told to prepare, but apart from getting an EORI number to enable us to trade with Europe, not many people seem to know what will happen next. It is likely we will experience more red tape, possible delays and potentially rising prices in the months ahead. Retailers will have to adapt quickly as the situation develops, but this is a skill we have had to develop over the past 12 months. Brexit is not the only challenge that lies ahead. The Covid pandemic will continue to create tough trading conditions for KBB businesses. We are still experiencing constantly changing legislation that is open to interpretation. The KBSA worked tirelessly last year to ensure a level playing field for independent retailers. But some organisations have still found loopholes during this latest lockdown and, while the KBSA continues to work with the authorities to protect its members’ interests, retailers have to be flexible and be prepared to change their business models to ensure success. That said, there are also opportunities to create some positive outcomes. Many retailers have embraced the virtual world much sooner than they would otherwise have done
and found that there are benefits to working this way. Consumers have had to adapt, too. Working from home has changed their shopping habits and they are wanting to engage 24/7. In my retail business, we have changed our website, inviting visitors to connect with us for a virtual consultation. We have invested in technology and training to make this a positive experience and found that we are able to share plans and drawings and build confidence and rapport online. We have also made it easy for visitors to download a brochure or browse the site for more information. We realise that while the showroom is still the heart of the business, we are using other tools to keep us visible and connected. The outlook for 2021 is favourable for those that can be flexible. The housing boom created by the stamp duty holiday will create a strong base for continued growth and pent-up demand in the housing market will create opportunities for the KBB sector. The future is still uncertain, but the outlook for the home-improvement market is robust. If retailers can remain adaptable and open to new technology, then businesses can grow and flourish.
The positive support of the KBSA will be invaluable for the independent sector as Brexit unravels and we continue to deal with the impact of Covid-19.
QUOOKER HAS joined the British Institute of KBB Installation (BiKBBI) as a corporate member pledging a six-figure investment to help the association tackle the UK skills gap over the next three years. The announcement was made by BiKBBI chief executive Damian Walters (pictured far right) last month, during a live-streamed press event from the association’s London headquarters. Walters said that every penny of boiling water tap brand Quooker’s six-figure investment would go towards accelerating the BiKBBI’s apprenticeship programme and help deliver the first phase of what it calls Operation Next-Gen. The BiKBBI has been campaigning for the
industry to help it close the skills gap and in the event Walters summarised the association’s progress so far with its Level 2 Apprenticeship. Walters said: “The skills gap and increased lead times, opportunists and industry reputation remains an issue. This is not the time to de-prioritise apprenticeships. There is no magical department within the Government that is going to fix this for us. I have often said it is a potential car crash and sadly we haven’t managed to avoid it. This is not something that might happen, it is something that IS happening and we need to fix it.” He added: “It is in everybody’s best interests that the next generation is encouraged into our industry. Now is the time for us to invest in apprenticeships. Growing our own workforces is the only sustainable model available.” Walters outlined the priorities for Operation Next-Gen. These were:
• The appointment of a BiKBBI director of education;
• The opening of 10 regional Centres of Excellence (COE) in England; • To continue to engage with the industry for more support; • To engage with all secondary schools within a 50-mile catchment area of COEs;
• A programme of digital engagement with secondary school students; • Working with members to create apprenticeship vacancies;
• Developing a new interactive website to bring together development and training bodies. Walters also spelt out the scheme’s immediate targets.
He said that by June it planned to engage with 500,000 students within its COE catchment areas. It would continue working with Charlton Athletic Women football club to create the first all-female COE in London. COEs would deliver Level 2 Apprenticeships to hundreds of students, and continue to develop the model in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, “with, hopefully, 2022 seeing the opening of new COEs in those areas”. Quooker UK managing director Stephen Johnson (pictured above left) explained why his company has decided to get behind BiKBBI’s apprenticeship initiative.
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He said: “I believe it is vital we strive to continue to grow and keep the skills within our industry. I am delighted and super-proud to be sponsoring the BiKBBI apprenticeship initiative, and we are going to be doing this for the next three years.” During the conference, Walters also said the BiKBBI remained optimistic about the future of the industry and that membership continued on an upward trend as the organisation enters its 15th year of incorporation.
Virtual Worlds reports record year for its digital experience
CAD COMPANY Virtual Worlds has
reported a record year for 2020, with more than 64,000 uses per month and 680,000 product catalogue downloads. The company attributes the increase in uses and download numbers to the fact that retailers are using more virtual ways of working since the first lockdown. There was also record growth in the number of manufacturers adding their catalogues to the Virtual Worlds database. Fifteen new brands were added to the database in 2020 and included Davroc, Qualitex, Impey, Burbidge, MyLife and SBH Radiators.
10 · February 2021
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