WARRINGTON based JD Kitchens has been given some “brexit certainty” by their Germany based kitchen supplier.
JD Kitchens is a bespoke kitchen company based in Padgate. They specialise in designer German manufactured Schuller kitchens, and are reliant on regular and reliable imports, so the recent uncertainty over trading has been a real concern.
In a letter this week, it is clear that the uncertainty of Brexit is clearly being felt across both sides of the pond, but one thing that has been made clear is how important trade relations with Britain are.
The letter from Schuller to JD Kitchens entitled ‘letter of support instead of waiting for Plan B’ goes beyond a token offer of reassurance. It explains how Schuller will guarantee a quick delivery service and will bear the costs of any additional fees of import, so that there are no effect on the customer purchase price, something that Dave Charlton, the owner at JD Kitchens has been concerned with for some time.
“The changes to the exchange interest rate have been a significant challenge to me as a small business. I’ve almost become an expert in currency. I have been buying Euros for several months in advance to help us manage to hold prices when the Euro/Pound exchange rates are unfavourable.
“The letter from Schuller was extremely supportive, and has allowed us to reassure our customers, that the sale price of their kitchen will hold steady.
Dave continued;“At the end of the day, we can’t do anything and that’s frustrating. The good news is that we’ve been given reassurances from several of our overseas suppliers and the KBSA that they’ll work with us and get us over the other side as pain free as possible, so we’re remaining positive”.
Richard Hibbert, National Chair of Kbsa reflected on the findings of their recent industry survey on the outcome of Brexit:“A snapshot survey of members views on the current situation found that when asked which outcome they preferred, between leaving without a deal, negotiating a delay or Theresa May getting her deal approved, most Kbsa members voted in favour of Theresa May negotiating her deal. There was a handful of votes to leave without a deal and one vote for another referendum or cancelling Brexit altogether”.
So, its clear that it is still business as usual for JD Kitchens in their 18th year, and the future whilst not straightforward, remains positive, with a full order book well into spring.
