Words: Tina Riley

So after a quieter 2024 (although we did end up with similar turnover to 2023) we had been expecting business to revert to pre pandemic levels as we assumed any reserve funds built up during Covid would have been spent, and truthfully were keen for this to happen. That level of business, combined with various supply chain issues has without a doubt made things quite tricky over the last few years!

Since January we have been consistently busy, particularly with bathrooms. In fact, our employed bathroom installer’s next free slot isn’t until November!

Which does indeed reflect one of the biggest challengers I think The KBB industry is facing: where do we find good installers ?

In our area the good ones are already busy and the ones who say they are good are often very far from it!

And then this issue is compounded further that should we find someone suitable, we don’t just need them, we need an additional plasterer, possibly another team of electricians, and I think most KBB business would admit project managing the installation is the hardest part of any project!

And don’t get me started on the issue of apprenticeships! Having finally found a suitable candidate and invested time into training him over 12 months, things were going very smoothly and he was proving a huge asset to the company. That is, until he was a no-show one day having run off with a tattoo artist more than twice his age to a completely different part of the country! No notice – nothing. You couldn’t make it up ! So we are currently sans apprentice.

Kitchen sales have been much quieter than bathrooms. Is this due to a lower project value on a bathroom?

Do new clients trial us as a business first with a smaller project before trusting us with the kitchen?

Is this due to the fact that a good quality kitchen is possibly lasting clients over 25 years before they need to purchase a new one?

Is this due to an increase in the ‘grey’ market? Most of our bathroom projects have involved taking out the bath and installing walk in showers, with clients looking to future proof their homes.

Or is it due to the quality of new build? We are replacing bathrooms in houses less than five years old as the quality supplied by the builder is pretty poor along with everything fitted into tiled boxings with discontinued tiles, usually leaking and with no storage, and in many cases no accessories!

Whereas new build kitchens – although pretty poor quality to anyone with knowledge – don’t cause as many issues as a leaking shower tray or non flushing toilet.

Or maybe there’s not as much competition generally for independent’s via the ‘sheds’ who still do not either do bathrooms or have such a complete offering?

Again I would also love someone to explain to me why kitchen sales historically peak and trough throughout the year, whereas bathroom enquiries are steady?

Maybe I have the brief for this wrong as was asked to comment on the current KBB market and I seem to have asked more questions than I have answered!

So summing up, all in all I think we are in for another tricky couple of years. My advice is to be proactive with marketing and business opportunities – expand your product offering. This is basic business sense, but it’s easier to sell more to an existing client than find new ones.

Looking at our installation board we still and always will run on a over 60% project rate for existing clients, which is great. You just obviously need to be able to stay in business long enough to repeat the rooms on an average 20 year plus cycle!