At DekBoard, we saw our leisure department hit hard by the COVID 19 pandemic. The closure of caravan, lodge and holiday parks had a direct impact on us and our national network of Authorised Installers as many businesses put projects on hold due to an unsure future.

Mark Cartwright, Commercial Director at DekBoard explains how this closure, and the subsequent re-opening of holiday parks has affected the sector:

“The temporary closure of holiday parks pressed pause on many projects DekBoard, and our Authorised Installers, had planned. It forced many companies to explore alternate revenue streams which led to an increased focus on the domestic market. This has been a lifeline for many in our industry, providing an income for businesses which may otherwise have struggled. However, the re-opening of the holiday parks has reinvigorated the sector.

“As soon as it was announced that holiday parks could reopen, sales increased dramatically as park owners looked to enhance their customer offering. We believe this increase in trade is set to continue, as it’s recently been reported that over 65 percent of the UK population plan to spend their holidays in the UK this year.

“In addition to holiday park owners requiring new decking solutions, we have also seen a rise in enquiries from private holiday homeowners, many of whom have taken advantage of the Stamp Duty ‘holiday’ and purchased residential specification lodges and homes. In turn, this has released equity from their “bricks and mortar” homes to provide financial stability and a lifestyle change.  Combined, these two markets have provided confidence in the future for the PVC decking market.

“However, this demand does not come without its challenges.

“The main challenge is the pressure this significant increase in demand puts on the supply chain.  For us, and many in our industry, the difficulty has been the sourcing of raw materials, which have been in short supply and often restricted.

“Here at DekBoard we have provided our customers with a continuous service throughout the pandemic due to the hard work of our purchasing team.  By sourcing materials in a timely manner and planning ahead where possible, we have been able to continue to deliver our products with very little disruption.

“We are acutely aware that our installers rely on us to provide them with products as and when they need them. To ensure we achieved this and to maintain a consistent supply throughout, we introduced several health and safety protocols to adhere to social distancing rules, including extended hours and split shifts, to ensure we delivered on time.

“Our commitment to our Authorised Installer network during the pandemic has resulted in an increase in enquiries about our installer scheme. As such, our installer network now covers most of the UK and we can provide our range of unique sustainable PVC decking boards, backed by only the highest level of customer service, to more people.”

To find your local DekBoard Authorised Installer, enter your postcode here: https://www.dekboard.co.uk/installers/