It s the perfect storm : Builders run short of paint, screws, hinges, bolts and timber as Covid restrictions and Brexit stockpiling jams UK ports It s mainly ironmongery that comes in from China that we can t hold of
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Builders are running short of supplies after a spike in imports due to the Covid-19 pandemic and fears of a no-deal Brexit have led to bottlenecks at UK ports.
Ports gridlocked and retailers struggling as Brexit deadline looms
The government is facing growing pressure to take action at the UK’s gridlocked container ports, as the looming Brexit deadline is also resulting in thousands of extra truckloads of goods heading to the Channel ports in France, causing delays and traffic queues.
The delays radiating out from major container ports such as Felixstowe, Southampton and London Gateway are now being felt acutely in a number of industries.
Retailers are struggling to get stock into stores and to customers in time for the critical Christmas period.
On Thursday, Honda was forced to halt production for two days at its Swindon plant due to a shortage of car parts. The Builders Merchants Federation has also reported dwindling supplies of tools, timber and roof tiles.
ForgeFix reassures merchants on service and stock 11 December, 2020 SHARE The company has expanded its customer service team to provide extremely high service levels to its merchant network.
ForgeFix, the fixings and fasteners distributor which supplies over 5,000 products lines to a network of national and independent retailers and merchants throughout the UK & Europe, is reassuring its customers that it is doing everything it possibly can to overcome the supply chain issues due to a container shortage carrying building supplies to the UK.
The company, which has manufacturing facilities in the Far East and has supply chain managers in situ, has also expanded its customer service team to provide extremely high service levels to its merchant network. ForgeFix believes that despite the disruption the crisis has caused, its long-term investment in its supply chain is paying off.
BMF Forecast Report highlights impact of no deal Brexit on merchant sales 11 December, 2020 SHARE The outcome of the Brexit trade talks dominates the forecast for 2021, with the Report analysing two scenarios, the first based on Brexit with a deal, the second on Brexit without a deal.
In the week that the Prime Minister heads to Brussels in a final bid to agree a trade deal with the EU, the Builders Merchants Federation’s latest Builders Merchants Industry Forecast Report presents a lacklustre picture if no deal is concluded.
The report analyses the key factors affecting builders’ merchants’ activity to project future sales from October 2020 to the end of 2021. Against the turbulent combination of Covid-19 and Brexit both the final quarter of this year and the coming year prove difficult to forecast.