Industry News

Covid-19 has impacted some plumbers and installers businesses more than others…

The current UK government advice is for everyone in the UK to practice social distancing - limiting face-toface contact with people who are not in your household and maintaining a two-metre distance between one another.

Where this is not possible - such as on public transport etc. you need to wear a face mask. The governments of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have issued their own guidance.

Plumbers and installers will, of course, be concerned about the impact that lockdown has had on their businesses. The government has outlined several ways of supporting businesses during this challenging time including but not limited to business interruption loans, the job retention scheme and income support for the self-employed.

As the easing of lock down continues and we make tentative steps to determine our way forward, where does this leave plumbers and installers re their prospect of working? Given the present climate, many homeowners may be confused and anxious about what work can be done and how they can keep safe with tradespeople coming into or even outside of their homes.

For tradespeople who are working, there are ways to reassure and protect customers (and themselves) - such as limiting their time in a house, disinfecting door handles they’ve touched, taking drinks so as not to use the homeowners mugs and of course wearing a mask and washing their hands regularly with soap and water/hand sanitiser – or wear gloves.

Recently, The IPG ran a Facebook competition, asking plumbers and installers to answer three simple questions, with the aim of understanding; what they thought of the Government schemes to help self-employed workers, if they were still working and how Covid-19 has impacted their business. Government support packages are working for some plumbers and installers but not for others. 56% felt that the schemes were positive and very helpful during these difficult times, one installer said that “they were a good solution to an impossible situation”. 38% felt that they were not much help, it took too long to get any payment and they needed to be better. 3% had no opinion.

We also shed some light on the percentage of plumbers and installers who were still working and those who were not. 58% had stopped working, with one participant stating, “It has completely shut down my business, as a domestic plumber/bathroom fitter

I had to completely stop working for the safety of myself and customers”. Another said: “We have closed down as we are domestic, no one wanted us to do house calls, jobs haven’t really been coming in, I’ve only had 2 emergencies to go to in this time”.

In contrast, 42% revealed that they were still working, stating various reasons for this, one plumber commented: “As a self-employed contractor, the initial lockdown resulted in me being out of work for a while - until the building site I was on implemented Covid safety measures”. Another remarked: “We are working but more aware of sanitising and customer interaction, we just have to adjust to suit the current situation - keep 2 meters apart, wear masks and gloves and wash regularly, making customers aware of procedures.”

David Cairns, Head of Supplier and Commercial Strategy at The IPG supports the safe working code stating: “In the UK, heating installers and plumbers primarily work alone or in small teams in private properties, changing location on a regular basis. Now, more than ever, safe working arrangements and practices are an important area to focus on.

“The public will become increasingly aware of the importance of not only using a tradesperson who is qualified, but one who is also fully aware of Covid-19 health and safety measures.”

He went on to say: “IPG members are all implementing Covid-19 health and safety measures in the workplace, making their stores a safe environment to shop in or click and collect. Never has buying from an independent business been more relevant. It is a significant contributing factor in supporting local employment, boosting UK innovation, as well as increasing environmental benefits. Support your local independent!”

For more information please visit: www.the-ipg.co.uk

Industry News

Liverpool unveils £1.4bn Covid recovery building plan

Liverpool has set out an ambitious £1.4bn plan to stimulate the city’s post-Covid recovery and prepare for the post-Brexit economy.

Now mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson is asking for £200m of central government funding for physical construction and more than £267m for apprenticeship and skills training programmes.

A 178-page report sent to the Prime Minister and the Chancellor outlines how the city aims to prevent a socio-economic crisis deeper than the 1980s recession.

The five-year plan would fire-up more than 25 shovel-ready projects to create an extra 12,000 construction jobs and more than 9,700 apprenticeships.

Totalling £1.4bn, these projects include a new cruise terminal and a major housing development next to the International Festival Gardens site.

It also highlights the opportunity to press ahead with the next phase of the city’s health innovation campus at Paddington Village as well as a Science and Tech Innovation Centre as part of the Liverpool John Moores University development at Copperas Hill in the city’s Knowledge Quarter.

The recovery plan, which was co-authored by independent economic consultants Metro Dynamics, has won backing for over 70 leading figures from the city’s commercial, legal, financial and cultural sectors.

Before Covid-19 struck, Liverpool was averaging £1bn a year in regeneration investment as a leading destination for medical research, digital health and life sciences.

The Government is due to announce a raft of emergency employment and business support measures this Autumn.

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said: “This recovery plan is a blueprint for a new Liverpool. “Forged by ambition and confidence to be innovative in how we create new skills, new homes and new jobs, and it has the weight of the entire city behind it.

“This recovery plan is immensely detailed and the sheer volume of partners involved across both public and private sectors from a wide range of disciplines underlines our commitment to seize what is quite simply a once in a lifetime opportunity to reset Liverpool.

“It has been researched, analysed and fully costed and I’m confident the government will see that Liverpool means business.

“This recovery plan is all about partnerships – and we need the government to act as one too. The return on investment is huge, a stimulus package that will not just benefit Liverpool – but also the region and the country.”

VitrA launches the Voyage collection by award-winning designer Arik Levy

Leading bathroom brand VitrA introduces the Voyage collection, a collaboration with the award-winning multi-disciplinary artist and designer Arik Levy.

Inspired by his time living and working in Japan, Arik Levy worked closely with VitrA’s in-house design team to create a bathroom collection that allows both mind and body to relax. He comments: “Taking time for ourselves in the bathroom each day can be extremely purifying. Our daily habits are deeprooted, but I hope that the Voyage collection will help us to indulge ourselves and make time to enjoy our daily rituals”.

With more than 130 products available in the range, Voyage is one of VitrA’s most extensive collections to date, offering endless possibilities for customisation. The vast number of furniture and sanitaryware pieces can be individually tailored using the extensive range of colour, material and size options, and by taking advantage of the variety of horizonal and vertical units and wall panels to create the ideal layout to suit any bathroom space or style.

The collection is entirely wall-hung, making it exceptionally versatile and ideal for small or awkward spaces. Both open and closed storage options are available – from hooks and open shelving, through to mirrored wallboxes and a variety of storage units – and each piece can be positioned anywhere in the room to suit individual needs. Coordinating accessories including a heated towel rail and a toilet roll and brush holder is also available to complete the look.

Voyage bathroom furniture is available in five different dual colour finishes, including flamed grey and natural oak, planked sand and stone grey, and flamed grey and forest green.

Cast from hygienic and easy-to-clean ceramic, the Voyage collection includes a range of countertop and wall-hung washbasin units which offer a convenient combination of wet, dry and semi-wet areas, blurring the lines between a traditional bowl and a vanity unit.

This collaboration is the latest in VitrA’s long-standing programme of working with world-renowned designers to create distinctive and modern bathroom collections. Arik Levy joins a group of designers such as Ross Lovegrove, Sebastian Conran, Terri Pecora, and most recently, Claudio Bellini, each of whom has worked closely with VitrA’s in-house team to create bathrooms that reflect their own vision and aesthetic style.

Levent Giray, Managing Director of VitrA UK, comments: “The Voyage collection highlights the importance of taking time to practice self-care on a daily basis and we are delighted to see it in production. Arik Levy worked closely with our in-house design team to ensure that his vision was expertly manufactured and engineered to be as versatile as possible, ensuring maximum convenience and choice for our customers.”