[Karan]: Ian and I are only just this side of nerdish nerdidom, when it comes to all things kitchens, bedrooms & bathrooms, as we can pore over a brushed nickel tap that would border on the obscene for most other people. We love what we sell and are always thirsty for new, exciting, innovative and inspirational products, which is why we went to the 2010 KBB trade exhibition in Birmingham recently.
You can imagine our bitter disappointment then when the number of exhibitors this year was significantly less than it was the last time round. We felt like The Grinch had pinched Christmas! It's sad but true that too many manufacturers, distributers and retailers in our industry have been fatally wounded by the recession, but we were surprised by some notable absences; companies who are definately still with us and are trading strongly. We wondered if these absent companies were having a crisis of confidence because - if they were - it was a crying shame, as the halls of the NEC were heaving with bods like Ian and I, all straining to see the next big thing and all trying to find the magical treasure to take back to their customers. What profitable new contacts might our Notable Absentees have made, what abundant sales might they have achieved, if they had have been brave and shown us their wares?
There's no doubt there's been a recession, and the economy is now in a desperate state. IKD experienced a slower and lower growth rate last year, and we were definately effected by everything that happened - there is no disputing that. But. Now this is just our uneducated opinion: we can't help but feel the media made everything a lot worse than it might otherwise have been. When you remember that bad news sells just as many (if not more) newspapers, and definately fills more air time and online column inches, is it any wonder the press were lured into a feeding frenzy? The problem now was that the media had almost invoked hysteria, which led the vast majority of the general public - or "hard working families" in political speak - to conserve their assests and resources, particularly if their income was threatened by redundancy or bankruptcy. Look how people stockpile bread and milk when the supermarkets close for two whole days over Christmas; are we really surprised by the protective reaction to the promised financial Armageddon?
I wonder now what would have happened if we hadn't all been force-fed a diet of doom. What if the overall message had been: this isn't a good situation but we're going to manage these difficult times with steely British determination, fortitude and confidence - like we did as a nation during the First and Second World Wars perhaps? Some may argue that this is precisely the message the government was trying to convey, but I doubt the masses believe (in) them any longer, and Gordon Brown is certainly no Winston Churchill as an orator, politician or Prime Minister.
The man in the photo above (which isn't Ian by the way!) looks like he's just climbed a mountain - or at least threaded his way around the twisty mountain roads in his 4 x 4 - am I being too cynical now?! For the sake of my argument, we'll agree he has climbed this mountain. If, when he started, he was worried about heights and falling, chances are he would have fallen, just because he wasn't concentrating solely on conquering a terrifyingly high piece of granite. You have to expect to succeed when you start anything. If you're going to embark upon such an enormous challenge, then you'd be wise to give it your undivided attention and tackle it with confidence. Remember: if you think you'll lose, then you've already lost.
At IKD we're starting to see "the green shoots" of recovery; people are choosing to refurbish the homes they currently have rather than buying a new one. Some customers are telling us they'd rather add value to their home because their pensions and savings are accruing virtually nothing in the banks. The tide is turning, the wheels of industry are starting to tentatively turn again (in Kettering at least) and it's refreshing, and it's positive - which inspires confidence. Let's all hope it lasts and develops into a full blown recovery but - like our mountain dude - we all have start somewhere and these's no point starting at all without....
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