When asked to rate the state of installers in general across the KBB industry, it may come as a shock to hear that on a scale of one to ten, the average score given by our readers was a decidedly middle of the road 6.3.

In fact, only a single retailer said 10 out of 10 (and thankfully, the lowest score was three, and even that was only mentioned by a single retailer), with by far the most common score being a very ambiguous five out of ten.

So retailers clearly don’t think the state of installation is completely dire, but they apparently believe installers could stand to see some serious improvements if the overarching opinion is so resoundingly average – especially considering how closely the two groups have to work together.

To find out why, we asked what the most common issue retailers noticed when dealing with their installation counterparts. And although retailers are broadly of the same mind about their ambivalence towards installers, they’ve ironically each got a different opinion about what installers could be doing better.

A number pointed out that they’ve become frustrated with installers’ administrative abilities, probably because they’re juggling multiple jobs while its more common for individual designers to work on a more case-by-case basis.

“Confirming and sticking to dates and returning to finish or fit remedials,” was one retailer’s biggest grievance, with another adding “I’m constantly chasing for estimates and dates. Actually, they’re not great at admin at all (unless they’re sending an invoice!)”.

A different retailer said: “They tend to have multiple jobs on at once, and they can change plans on the go. They have a preferred supplier, and if it’s not who they use, they put up blockers to make the job difficult for us.”

Stopping short of actually naming the installer they’re clearly irked by, another showroom owner answered: “They seem to do the school run, a bit of scrolling, have lunch, do a bit more scrolling and then have to complete the school pick up.” The same retailer also concluded: “I sometimes think it’s ‘the tail wagging the dog’ and that I work for him!”.

Organisation

Aside from organisational woes, several retailers also said they feel like installers can have a tendency to rush ahead with work on a project without taking the time to understand all of the design’s individual aspects.

“It’s always been difficult to find fitters that match the energy of designers,” one explained. “We spend so much time detailing every inch of a kitchen and a lot of trades (but not all) think it’s easy to just ‘throw it together’. Especially when there are a lot of defective designs being produced by the big sheds. 

“A lot of fitters already think that designers don’t know what they’re doing so they come into the job, already a bit sceptical and standoffish.”

Backing this up, a different retailer agreed that they’d noticed “Installers are getting less and less inclined to thoroughly review quotes and designs that we produce for the end customer.”

However, it appears that the same complaint works both ways, with another retailer recounting: “I was recently at a conference and heard a very well-known figure in the kitchen industry comment that installing kitchens is easy as ‘after all, it’s only hanging boxes on a wall’. That gentleman immediately went down in my opinion. It showed just how little he understood. 

“Coming from an installation background myself, I know that when you do the very first part of an install, in your head you already need to know exactly how the very last part will fit. If you don’t, you’re likely to get caught out. A great kitchen installation is not just about fitting cabinets. It’s about planning, sequencing, precision, problem-solving and experience.”

And of course, as has been much discussed in recent years, there’s also the ongoing skills gap crisis, where a lack of fresh talent entering the industry could spell disaster down the road. 

A decent number number of retailers kbbreview asked mentioned that this was a big problem for them already, with one commenting: “We’ve had some brilliant fitters over the last 20 years, but sadly many have packed up and retired now. It’s certainly always going to be hard to replace talented fitters, but I have found pickings are slim in our area to find even run-of-the-mill tradespeople now.”

And on the flipside, one retailer bemoaned that having the available local pool be made up of mostly “old guard” installers runs the risk of some ending up totally stuck in their ways. 

Explaining in a bit more detail, they said: “This is a broad generalisation, but there can be a degree of resistance to change among some of the more established trades. The industry is evolving quickly, with increasingly complex designs becoming standard – even within relatively small spaces such as bathrooms, where layouts are being reconfigured and specifications now include elements like large-format tiling, mitred edges, and resin joints. These are specialist skills that a significant proportion of installers are not yet proficient in.”

Going into a bit more detail, that same retailer added: “Younger tradespeople tend to be more open to new methods and materials, but there are comparatively fewer of them entering the industry at present. In addition, reliability and timekeeping have become notable challenges across the sector, and are an increasing source of frustration on projects.”

Pricing problems?

Encouragingly though, there were a decent number of retailers who, when asked what they felt like the biggest challenge they had working with installers, simply said they didn’t have any, which was a pleasant surprise.

“My team are great generally,” summed up one. “We carry out very complex work that really demands a lot of them.”

Another said: “To be fair, we have few issues with our core installers who have worked with us for many years. The issues are with new installers and that heart in mouth moment when they do their first job for you and it’s not to the standard you require. Supervision is vital at this point so that both sides can learn to understand each others expectations and limitations.”

And on a related note, out of the dozens of retailers who gave their feedback for this article, when asked how hard they were finding it to locate good installers at the moment, literally all of them with the exception of one said either “difficult” or “very difficult”, which will surely come as a surprise to no one.

However, while the cost of installers is a topic many seem happy to vent about anecdotally, when asked whether they thought the average cost of installers was too high now, the majority of retailers actually responded “no”, which was a surprise given how frequently the complaint gets brought up by retailers.

“Given the cost of running and maintaining their vans, tools and equipment, business insurances and required certifications plus the rising expectations of customers – they face a lot of costs themselves!” explained one retailer.

Another sympathised: “The actual trades are very reasonably priced if they provide a quality installation. But the retailers seem to be making a lot of profit on install costs. I was a given a quote to compare recently where the retailer was charging £14K to install a medium sized, basic kitchen, which seems a bit on the high side to me.”

“I believe the trades have historically been undervalued and, in many cases, underpaid, despite requiring a level of skill that most people simply do not possess,” said another. “Reaching a high standard in any trade takes years of training and hands-on experience.”

Tying it back into the age-old skills crisis issue, another retailer said: “It’s borderline – but will eventually become an issue if we don’t work harder to bring new people into the industry. Day rates will rise when availability is limited.”

Ideal installers?

At risk of making it sound like retailers had nothing but negative things to say about their installers, we also challenged them to describe their “perfect” installer. 

While no one mentioned anything revolutionary (apart from one enterprising retailer who wished for “someone who will work for free”) what was most surprising was how reasonable their requests were.

In fact, virtually unanimously, retailers identified the same core set of criteria for their ideal installer: someone who is good at timekeeping, can communicate well, who takes pride in the finished result of their work, and is an overall team player.

“Friendly, knowledgeable, experienced or willing to learn and problem solve on site. Great attention to detail and excited to be involved,” explained one retailer, adding: “I’m very lucky to have found a few of these in my area!”.

Another enthused that their ideal installer is someone, “who has the customer’s interests at the core of his work ethic. Whether it’s effective communication, housekeeping or top class workmanship commensurate to what he’s being paid, the customer always comes first and foremost. They have to share my values, passion and belief of delivering the best job to customers who may have saved for years to get the kitchen of their dreams.”

So, despite retailers appearing to have such a middling impression of KBB installers, it sounds like the qualities they expect from their fitters aren’t too far-fetched after all.

And judging by the retailers we spoke to, it sounds like the vast majority of installers (especially the ones that have forged long-standing relationships with designers) already embody most of these “ideal” traits. However, with the seemingly unending skills gap crisis clearly not going anywhere any time soon, one unexpected side effect is that the cream of the crop installers may find themselves in even higher demand than ever before.

After all, that expectation goes both ways, and I’m sure most installers would also rather work with retailers that keep them in the loop on projects, communicate openly, and share the same passion for a great job well done. 

So although both sides might occasionally complain about each other, both retailers and installers clearly need to rely on each others’ expertise and knowledge to keep the industry globe turning. 

But hopefully, instead of pointing the finger of blame so often, it might help for both retailers and installers to keep in mind that what they ultimately want isn’t so different after all…?