Speaking ahead of its Hausmesse, UK & Ireland Business Manager of Pronorm Jason Grinton  reports the UK business has year to date sales 12% ahead of its 2017 level.

It is despite the company, like many German kitchen furniture manufacturers, being subject to longer lead times.

UK & Ireland Business Manager Jason Grinton

Jason Grinton commented:“Currently we are on eight weeks which is longer than we want but we have put major investment in the factory, together with other measures in recent months to increase capacity and we expect to bring our lead-times back down to six weeks soon.”

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“We are running at full capacity currently, and many of our German competitors are also on 8 weeks, which has got to be a strong sign of the demand for the design and quality of our products by the UK consumer.”

He believes Brexit hasn’t caused consumer confidence to dip for his retail network: “January and February were quiet and typically they can be but since then our UK business has been very buoyant.

“KBB in March was the best show we’ve been to so far, the acid test being new business generation. We signed up eight very good new retailers as a direct result of the show. To me that’s a sign confidence is good.”

Grinton continued: “Brexit continues to rumble away but I am not having conversations about the implications of Brexit with retailers on a regular basis.

“I think many people have the same conclusion in that, once we know what the ‘deal’ is then we will respond accordingly.

“That’s not burying our head in the sand, it’s being pragmatic.

“We have worked through challenging times with the recession and the exchange rate fluctuations and our UK business and relationships have survived and prospered. I believe we will do the same with Brexit.”