According to a Kbb Review exclusive retailer survey it has been discovered that Kbb suppliers and manufacturers need to up their game urgently as some two thirds of Kbb retailers are considering a supplier switch.
In an exclusive kbbreview survey of how satisfied retailers are with the service they get from suppliers, 67% of the bathroom retailers and 61% of the kitchen retailers told kbbreview they were considering a change.
When asked, those Kbb retailers that had already changed supplier in the past 12 months what had attracted them to their new partner, the biggest reason given was product availability, which accounted for 40% of the supplier switches that have already taken place.
The willingness of Kbb suppliers to build a relationship, good communication, honesty and transparency and better policies to deal with the online threat were also given as major contributing factors to prompt a switch in supplier by Kbb retailers.
Kbb retailers, Covid & Product Availability
Working with Kbb retailers of all shapes and sizes and all over the UK Kitchens Kitchens can attest to the issue with product availability in the last 2-3 years.
Whilst Covid is undeniably the major contributing factor, it should be pointed out that it was only making worse, issues that had started with Brexit.
Kbb retailers found themselves in a perfect storm of supply and logistics issues in early 2020 (in the build up to the Jan 31st exit). No sooner had the queues at our ferry and Channel tunnel ports started to gather pace with new cross-Channel red tape (and the rush to beat it) catching many Kbb retailers and suppliers out, the first Covid lockdown took place on March 26th.
Even when the lockdowns eased and people could return to work (before the next lockdown), it became apparent very quickly that supply shortages across the world from raw materials to finished products would not be resolved any time soon.
Even now, 26 months on from the first UK lockdown, Kbb retailers are still unable to source certain products. There is still a global computer chip shortage affecting cars and Kbb home appliances and since 24th Feb, raw material supply chains and even EU energy and fuel shortages have been affected by the war in Ukraine.
The Kbb retailer has had a truly terrible time over the last 3 years and whilst the likes of Howdens managed to use its buying power in creating a Brexit Stockpile, which gave it the edge come Covid, to outperform the rest of the market, the independent Kbb retailer had no such opportunity.
Kbbreview by Taylist Media is the UK's leading publisher of trade and consumer magazines and events dedicated to the kitchens bedrooms and bathrooms industry
