Despite the world cautiously watching the headlines for rises in Covid-19 cases, there is some cause for business optimism with one report claiming that home improvement works will continue regardless of a second wave.
The well documented home improvement and DIY boom of Q2 was expected by some to recede as conditions returned to 'normal'. However, one UK survey has found that 81% won't postpone home improvement work because of a reluctance to have other people in the house, positive news for the fasteners, fixings and tools suppliers as well as for tradespeople.
According to the Powered Now-commissioned study, 15% of tradespeople said they were experiencing their highest client demand ever (since the initial lockdown) with 17% of tradespeople regularly working over 10 hours a day.
While the impending end of the furlough scheme and its Job Support Scheme replacement is expected to impact on consumer finances, the survey found that 18% of Brits would "not let a second wave get in the way of home improvement projects".
Ben Dyer, CEO of Powered Now, said: "As Covid cases continue to rise and with new restrictions set to be announced today, there are certainly concerns around the possibility of another lockdown, and how it will affect the construction and trade sectors. However, our research has shown that the pandemic will not get in the way of home improvements, especially as we draw closer to the colder months.
"This is great news as the sector has continued to see an upward trajectory of recovery, and it just goes to show how important these sectors are when it comes to overcoming the problems caused by COVID-19. Despite second wave concerns, our research has entirely confirmed that tradespeople and consumers alike are very much eager to sustain this growth, with traders being are motivated to work and commencing their work on home improvements even sooner. This is sure to help the sector bounce back even quicker as people will rush to hire a tradesperson for their desired work."
There’s more analysis of theDIY market in the lockdown period from BHETA.
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Image by analogicus from Pixabay
