As part of its Information Exchange programme to encourage professional and business development within skilled craft industries, Abbey England's Podcraft series is dedicated to discussing industry insights with fellow suppliers, customers and leading industry experts within the equestrian and leather industry.
However, following a difficult year across all industries, Abbey England has provided a special podcraft episode, where the company's CEO Richard Brown discusses some of the most recent difficult changes Abbey England has undertaken, the reasons why, and the impact this will have on its customers, stakeholders, staff and industry.
Speaking of these updates, Richard Brown, CEO, says: "2023 is not a year which we will remember fondly. During a challenging economic climate, which is affecting businesses at all levels, we have had to make some difficult decisions in order to continue to support our customers, stakeholders and the industry.
"We have already informed all our customers of the reduction in working hours across both our warehouses as part of our drive to cut costs through the winter months. This means that the Walsall counter will be closed every Friday until further notice, and the manufacturing unit is working reduced hours which will result in slower delivery times.
"We will be working hard to maintain our usual service levels, however, after much debate, we will therefore reduce the availability of some of the items we manufacture. We recommend anyone to discuss their requirements with the sales team, who are always available and willing to help, and we encourage our customers to make monthly call-off orders, allowing us to plan in a more economic manner.
"We also will be changing our prices at the start of January, on average by 12%, in the hope of maintaining the margins that are essential for the future trading of Abbey England, especially when business levels return to a more normal level in the future.
"Abbey England is now in its 42nd year and the company has always supported colleagues, customers and suppliers through good times and difficult situations, through recessions, economic slumps, and more recently the Covid-19 pandemic.
"The directors and I are confident that the company, working together with all parties, will weather the storm and, with these changes, we are determined to come through the current adverse trading conditions in a position for Abbey England to emerge a stronger business in 2024 and continue to serve our customers and stakeholders for many years to come.
"We would like to thank all our stakeholders, customers and staff who have supported us over the years and hopefully will continue to do so."
To listen to the podcast ‘Abbey England: Our Message To You' in full, please visit: https://www.abbeyengland.com/the-abbey-england-podcraft
For further information on Abbey England, visit the website at www.abbeyengland.com