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Listen to a full interview with Danny Lay NOW using the player below or go straight to this episode in Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Alternatively, simply search ‘kbbreview’ wherever you get your podcasts.

The last 12 months for anyone in the KBB industry have been defined, I believe, by just how resilient you are. 

Anyone on the ground knows that the wider market continues to be flat at best and retailers tell us the same story week after week: enquiries are steady, but conversion is slower and price sensitivity is driving some customers to chase cheaper products.

It has been a tough environment, and that’s the honest truth, but with that comes clarity and that has certainly shaped much of Caple’s strategy this year.

For a long time, our industry has wrestled with a race to the bottom. Too many suppliers are fighting solely on price, and when you compete on price alone, you end up stripping out the very value the independent sector relies on. You compromise your margins, your service, your product quality and even your identity.

I feel real sympathy for the distributors caught in that bind this year and many have struggled or even paid the ultimate price. We were a distributor for many years, of course, and while that background never leaves you,  it does also reinforce the decision we made years ago to focus on our own brand. Being a single-brand supplier gives us something vital – control. Control over quality, pricing, availability, and the way we communicate with the market.

In 2025, that control allowed us to stay firm on principle. We haven’t chased the bottom. We’ve continued to push product quality and breadth, giving our sales team something meaningful to sell. That stance has resonated with retailers who want to differentiate through value rather than discounting.

Positivity

As a result,  we’ve seen positive signs in the second half of the year. Orders have strengthened, turnover has stabilised, and we’re cautiously optimistic about the trajectory ahead. Are we back to the highs of 2020 to 2022? No, and it would be unrealistic to pretend otherwise, but the direction of travel is encouraging.

If there’s one major learning from 2025, it’s this: you cannot wait for the market to come to you anymore.

That goes for suppliers just as much as it does for retailers. We’ve kept our field sales team at full strength, invested in internal support, and doubled down on active selling. And frankly, you have to. The collapse of several routes to market this year represents well over £100 million worth of business suddenly up for grabs. We won’t get all of it of course, but we intend to earn our share, and I’ve encouraged my team to be ambitious about that.

Looking ahead to 2026, I believe the mood is shifting. A year ago, most of the industry seemed stuck in a holding pattern of waiting, watching, and hesitating too see what happened next. This year feels different. There’s a renewed appetite for attacking the market rather than bracing for it. Retailers and suppliers alike are ready to move, not just react.

For Caple, 2026 will be about building on the stability we’ve achieved and pushing forward with confidence. We have a strong pipeline of new products across appliances, sinks, taps, and furniture, ranges that bring cohesion, clearer step-ups, and a more refined design story. These developments aren’t just cosmetic; they’re strategic, giving retailers greater tools to sell value rather than price.

And my message to independents is simple: be visible, be proactive, and be distinctive.

Invest in your showroom and make it a destination, not just a display. Use social media intelligently. Keep your website fresh. And don’t be shy about pushing your brand into your local community. The nationals are formidable, but independents win on personality, service, and originality – if they make themselves seen.

Listen to the full interview with Danny Lay in this special bonus episode of The kbbreview Podcast below…

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