Building supplies issues ‘short-lived’

That is the view of Norman Piette CEO John Bampkin, who said the situation was very inconsistent with supply and demand issues changing week on week.

For example, at the start of the year there were issues with plasterboard, currently there are some emerging issues with cement and it looks like chipboard could be hit next.

However, Mr Bampkin said manufacturers that Norman Piette deals with are quick at turning the issues around.

‘The difficulty is keeping a handle on it all,’ he said.

‘But we are ramping up stocks and looking at other suppliers and supply chains when needed.’

With demand increasing in the UK because of easing lockdown restrictions, prices are being put up.

For Guernsey traders, looking for alternative suppliers could mean that they are not given their usual deals, meaning customers would have to pass on that increased cost to their clients.

‘While there are some issues, they tend to be very short-lived and we are working on lots of ways to mitigate the effects of these,’ Mr Bampkin said.

‘If there is a spike in cost I imagine that will be short-lived, too.’

He urged people to be sensible and not panic-buy materials, saying this would only add to the issues that were currently manageable.

‘I don’t think there is one reason why these issues crop up every now and again,’ he said.

‘It’s the mix of reasons which is why the problems are changing all the time.’

For example, production of some materials has been hit as staff in the UK still need to exercise social distancing, bad weather can delay shipments, staff at the ports have to maintain social distancing which can affect efficiency and increased demand in the UK has had a knock-on affect on the island.