At its recent annual conference, the British Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom and Bathroom Installation (BiKBBI) hosted businesses from across the KBB installation, retail and manufacture sectors to discuss the challenges and highlight the opportunities facing the industry in 2023 and beyond.
This year’s conference was hosted by Hannah Prevett, Deputy Editor of The Times Enterprise Network, on 7 February in Westminster’s QEII Centre and was attended by more than 150 business leaders and senior managers. Keynote speeches were delivered by Fergus Harradence, Deputy Director of the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and Mark Farmer, author of the Farmer Review, supported by BiKBBI’s honorary patron Stephen Metcalfe MP, who opened the conference, as well as
CEO, Damian Walters who provided a update on the institute’s progress against its strategic objectives.
Delegates also heard from Laura Pardoe, Director at AMA Research and Stephen Johnson, Managing Director of Quooker UK, who took the opportunity during National Apprenticeships Week to highlight the positive impact that youth can bring to modern businesses and the importance of apprenticeships to the future of the KBB industry.
The fundamental message from the line up of speakers on the day was clear: the KBB industry will continue to face economic challenges for the next 12-18 months but the sector is expected to bounce back in 2024, however the real threat to the industry remains the skills gap crisis, and the devastating impact that will be felt throughout the sector if businesses do not take collective responsibility and work together to build a sustainable workforce for the future.
EDUCATION | STANDARDS | SUSTAINABILITY | COMPLIANCE |
