Retailers who are members of the Kitchen Bathroom Buying Group (KBBG) – part of the Der Kreis organisation – will get their annual members’ suppliers bonus payment early in a bid to support them through the disruption.
The payment is traditionally paid in the summer, but the plan is now to make an interim payment to qualifying members ‘as soon as possible’.
Bill Miller, managing director of the KBBG, Der Kreis said: “The impact of the virus on the kitchen and bathroom independent market is devastating. The year had started positively with members reporting a busy start and plenty of showroom foot traffic . There was certainly a very positive attitude leading up to the kbb show.
“But over the past two weeks, members have reported that foot traffic is virtually non-existent and that’s leading to concerns about both the short and long-term future. In response to this unprecedented situation, we are looking to bring forward our annual bonus payment to qualifying KBBG members. This will give many of our members a real financial injection just when they need it.”