KBzine: the original kitchen and bathroom industry e-news - since 2002
28th January 2021

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Leader 4th November continued

Continued from Front Page

"The past few winters have demonstrated just how susceptible the UK is to extreme weather, and the cost to business quickly runs into millions," says the Forum's Head of Campaigns, Jane Bennett. "When infrastructure grinds to a halt staff can't get in to work, and that's a body blow which hits small firms with fewer staff the hardest.

"It worth remembering prevention is also better than cure - something as simple as making sure water pipes are lagged could save a business thousands in lost revenue if it has to close because of flooding. Businesses need to think about their contingency plans now to ensure they aren't put out of action by another nasty Winter."

In the wake of the Summer riots - and the more recent flash flooding which has affected parts of the south, the Forum is also highlighting the need for firms to regularly review basic disaster recovery plans in general.

For while small businesses will usually get an insurance payout to cover damage to their property after freak events, they are highly vulnerable to the steep drop in turnover which often follows as customer records are lost, phone calls and emails go unanswered and clients take their custom elsewhere.

Figures show that a high percentage of businesses affected by a major incident such as a flood or a fire either never re-open or go into administration soon after the event.

This is often not due to the immediate loss of goods and premises, which is usually covered by insurance payouts. It's because the company's inability to resume trading within a short space of time means clients and customers go elsewhere, leading to unsustainable losses and potentially undoing years of hard work spent building the business up.

We have been warned...

4th November 2011