The market is difficult but there are still sales opportunities, was the view of a panel of KBB retail experts at InstallerSHOW.

Owner of Coalville Bathrooms and Kutchenhaus Lutterworth Luke Wedgbury, CEO of RFK Trevor Scott, MD of Lima Kitchens Elizabeth Pantling-Jones and owner of Modern Homes Tina Riley discussed their experiences of the current market.

While Luke Wedgbury said the market was “tough”, he continued: “I’ve been in industry for 26 years, now, and even when the going is good business is tough, but when the going is bad business is tough.

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“So although we are not smashing our numbers, in regards to our monthly and quarterly targets ,we are getting there but it’s very, very difficult.”

However, he indicated there are still business opportunities for retailers, even in a challenging market:  “We’re having having to diversify, we’re having to think of new USPs.

“It’s not it’s not as easy as it has been, but it’s certainly not as difficult as it has been.”

He added: “It’s not great. It’s a challenge, but the work is there if you’re willing to dig deep and look for it.”

Trevor Scott of RFK Kitchens agreed with Wedgbury’s “fair” assessment of the market, stating “Market trading conditions are very difficult at the moment.

“We’re doing the numbers, but every month we get to the end of it and we breathe a sigh of relief that we have hit the numbers.”

He pointed to “much” shorter lead times for the business, adding: “We like it [lead times] to be around 12 weeks.

We are roughly at eight weeks at the moment, but the orders are coming through.

“The difficulty is that the in-tray orders aren’t bulging at the seams, and they should be.

“So we have to work harder and harder and harder to make sure we convert the ones we have and convert them into business.”

Although not disagreeing with the panel, Liz Pantling-Jones of Lima Kitchens took a more positive view, as she stated: “Business is looking pretty good for us. We’ve got the leads coming and we are converting them.”

However she said a struggle for the business is the leads times for the business aren’t as long as she would like.

Additionally, Pantling-Jones said competitors who weren’t receiving the same level of leads were cutting prices and her business was being asked to do the same.

Tina Riley compared the differences between kitchens and bathroom sales, stating the business had to shut the books for bathrooms: “The bathroom business is extremely buoyant, whereas I have orders up to October for kitchens.”

However, she also said customer demographic takes this time for holiday which also creates a quiet period for sales.

However, Tina Riley also stated closing sales books on bathrooms creates its own issues, fuelled by a lack of qualified installers.

She added: “My biggest issue is what do I do now? I can’t say to someone tomorrow, I can’t do your bathroom until next year. So, my issue, is finding installers to complete the work we have got.”