PRODUCTS | Market and design trends GONNA COME A CHANGE IS
We take a broad look across the KBB market to assess how Covid, Brexit, supply shortages and rising interest rates have changed the industry and how this may affect product and design trends for the future. Francesca Seden reports…
O
ver the past 12 months we’ve begun to recover, both emotionally and
economically, from the Covid-19 pandemic and started to get back to normal life.
The mass exodus from the UK’s cities to the country never really happened and the housing market has boomed as a consequence of the stamp duty holiday and those looking for more space, both indoors and out. Towards the end of this year, we’ve faced rocketing inflation at levels not seen for decades and materials and labour shortages – mostly in the haulage industry, but also in manufacturing – all compounded by the effects of Brexit.
In the housing market, construction has been held back by cost pressures and chaos in supply chains. Data released in November 2021 by the ONS showed that the annual rate of construction output price growth was 5.1% in September 2021. This was the strongest annual rate of price growth since records began in 2014. Despite a 10% rise in the number of new enquiries, estate agents only had an average of 37 properties on their books, the figures showed. Meanwhile, 20% of contributors reported a fall in the number of new properties being listed for sale.
For most KBB businesses, 2021 has been a highly successful year, with many reporting record sales.
However, at the time of writing, the general feeling among our contributors was one of caution.
Jon Johnston, sales director at kbb Birmingham show organisers Informa Markets, says: “It’s hard to
predict
rapid growth in 2022, because while demand is still very high, the cost of the supply of raw materials is rising and transportation costs are in- creasing, which as a result is pushing manufacturers to pass on the costs to the customer. So, growth could be quite marginal.
“The other issue is the worsening of
the skills shortage since Brexit, when hundreds and thousands of people moved back to Europe. Kitchen installation for a new project could take
up to six months to complete. Kitchen, bathroom and plumbing projects are in huge demand.” Jo Sargent, sales and marketing
director at Franke, adds: “This year will continue to present the same challenges as last year, including port congestion, transport delays, skills shortages, supply chain interruption, price rises and materials shortages. “Added to that is rising inflation and pressure on disposable income, which may impact on spending across the KBB sector. “No one is expecting this year to be
easy, but there is optimism in the fact that investing in the home continues to be a top priority.”
Despite the challenges ahead,
Crown Imperial’s Furore furniture collection is available throughout the home. Pictured is a gloss handleless kitchen
40 · January 2022
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