The British Home Enhancement Trade Association (BHETA)’s latest survey shows that 83% of members report sales during lockdown as being ‘better than expected’, while 63% say they were ‘much better’.
Published in August, the survey saw over 100 responses and the survey investigates the economic impact on businesses and sales after the lockdown period. Despite businesses being hit by a recession as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, more than three quarters of survey respondents claim that they are expected to reach or exceed budget for 2020. Over 100 BHETA members responded to the questionnaire.
BHETA marketing manager Steve Richardson said, “The pandemic and resulting lockdown has been a huge tragedy and the country is struggling with the resulting recession. However, the encouraging truth for many homewares’ suppliers is that a large proportion have been pleasantly surprised by a positive trading experience over the past few months, in particular those who could sell direct to the end consumer though their own websites, through ‘local’ retailers who stayed open, or quickly re-opened, or through retailers with good e-commerce sites.”
He continued, “One of the obvious outcomes of the lockdown has been an increased spend on home-related projects as furloughing, working from home and the limited alternative outlets for disposable income combined to focus attention on home improvement, home baking and gardening. BHETA’s most recent data suggests that these trends are continuing post-lockdown as new-found skills and rediscovered enthusiasm for all things home and garden provide a positive legacy for the whole sector. BHETA will certainly be continuing to support its members in making certain they can access consumer demand by tailoring their sales strategies accordingly.”
BHETA's National Home Improvement Month (NHIM) 2020 consumer promotion will go ahead in September in partnership with Homebase.
