Editor of Kitchens & Bathrooms News Philippa Turrell says now is the time for industry to pull together to assist the supply chain – rather than arguing who is to blame.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics has perfectly reflected the past 18 months in kitchen and bathroom retailing.

There have been extended deadlines, with the event postponed for an entire year, and then an intensive period of work following the restrictions lifting.

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Above all, it has taken an Olympian effort to stay in the game, let alone at the top of the game.

But as the Games of the Olympiad have drawn to a close, the kbb industry has continued its heroic effort to meet the uplift in demand for new kitchens and bathrooms, which has seen increasing pressure on the supply chain.

What may have started with suppliers playing catch-up in production post-lockdown has now been replaced by a shortage of raw materials around the world.

It means delays are across the board in the kbb industry, impacting all products and all manufacturers.

So it’s really no surprise, in a LinkedIn poll, Kitchens & Bathrooms found the majority (52%) of respondents cited supply as the biggest challenge impacting retail businesses.

It could be argued, however, the prolonged wait for products is less of an issue than the quality of communication along the supply chain.

Retailers have not only had to deal with extended lead times, but may have had to reorganise their historic ordering processes and reorganise cashflow to account for earlier ordering.

Then, on top of that, kbb retailers may have had found out, at point of delivery, a product is not only out of stock but there is no confirmed delivery date.

All of which means an unhappy end-customer who is able to disseminate their disappointment across social media, negatively impacting on a retailer’s business.

KBB suppliers have improved the communication of supply challenges but must remain as transparent, as possible, to help retailers make informed choices.

Only then will kbb retailers be more in control of their business, and ultimately able to best serve their customers.

And now more than ever, kbb retailers must also carefully manage the expectations of their clients, highlighting the continuing challenges in supply.

These challenges aren’t for the short-term, as global shortages are predicted for the rest of this year and into 2022, perhaps until the pace of business changes.

But working together, manufacturers, distributors and retailers through to end-users, should ensure the supply chain works as effectively as possible – even in difficult circumstances