Editor of Kitchens & Bathrooms News Philippa Turrell looks forward with optimism, as kbb retail is back to business

Like the first shoots of spring, the high street is starting to blossom with shops, bars and restaurants open once again, restoring life and business to towns and cities. Retail is at the start of its journey to bouncing back.

Although kitchen and bathroom retailers have been able to continue working throughout lockdown, measuring and installing projects (in England and Wales), with showrooms now open they can more effectively push orders across the line.

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And according to reports from accountancy firm PwC that consumer confidence is at an all-time high, since the launch of its Consumer Sentiment Index in 2008, it could see a highly motivated market for kitchen and bathroom purchases.

Consumer markets lead at PwC Lisa Hooker said: “After a tough year, there is now a real sense of anticipation as consumers eagerly await the re-opening of non-essential retail, hospitality and leisure.”

PwC revealed consumers have more disposable income and there is a pent-up demand to spend their forced savings after a year of lockdown restrictions.

And this peak in consumer confidence is not only across the board in terms of age demographics but in a ‘first’ also across all UK regions.

In fact, as the UK starts to reopen for business, perhaps the only issue may be how kbb retail can cater for the upturn in business.

This may be solved by the likes of virtual design services, offered by kbb suppliers, during the lockdowns.

Of course, the question remains how long will an upturn in big-ticket purchases such as kitchens and bathrooms last when overseas holidays are restored.

At the time of going to press, international holidays remain illegal. And although there are hopes to resume international travel from May 17, the timing of re-opening national borders still remain unconfirmed.

And there are further complexities surrounding future travel requirements, proposing a ‘traffic light’ system of countries with testing to limit the risk of further waves or variants taking hold in the UK.

Lisa Hooker of PwC states “there will remain a level of uncertainty in areas such as travel.”

All of which may mean returning to normal for Summer holidays in 2021 may not be the same as pre-COVID.

So, perhaps big-ticket competitor purchases such as kitchens and bathrooms sales may benefit for months to come.