Ian Cheshire,CEO of Kingfisher,the world's third-largest home improvement retailer behind Home Depot and Lowe's,says they're seeing consumer confidence improve in the Euro-zone.They're not seeing big numbers.Kingfisher's sales were up one percent.Most people are waiting for unemployment to at least top out.There's a slight sense of wait and see,Mr.Cheshire noted.
To respond to the situation,Kingfisher is keeping very flexible in its supply chain.There's been a huge increase in shipping rates from Asia,necessitating the flexibility.Kingfisher is also focused on innovation in a flat market.People are going for bold patterns in wallpaper and the green trend.
You get big shocks,sudden spikes in business,Mr.Cheshire explained,and you have to be able to react.The first half of this year looks pretty tough.At best,we're looking for a second-half recovery,in Ian Cheshire's view.
No comments:
Post a Comment