‘COVID19 & Beyond’
Just before the threat of a global pandemic became a reality, Kingfisher Labels was pleased to announce our financial results for the 12 months ending January 2020 represented the best in our history. The company’s turnover had increased by over 20% and we were excited about the future.
Andy Watts, Kingfisher Labels’ Sales Director said: “We were delighted with Kingfisher’s performance over our last financial year as, once again, we had delivered steady, yet significant progress. When COVID19 became a global problem there was obvious concern but with our solid foundations in place we felt prepared and able to meet the inevitable challenges head-on. Our turnover has taken a bit of a hit over the last few months but our profitability has remained robust and resilient.”
Kingfisher immediately looked at measures to be taken so we could continue trading as effectively as possible throughout the pandemic. There was understandable nervousness amongst our team as constant, high-profile messaging from the media painted a very gloomy picture, so Kingfisher acted quickly.
We ‘furloughed’ several of our colleagues to enable social distancing in our premises. Gloves, masks and hand sanitisers were provided, and we ensured machine operators worked on the same presses rather than move to other machinery. Our office environment was also changed to ensure gaps of over two metres existed between people.
Karl Jackson, Kingfisher Labels’ Production Director said: “We are immensely proud of the reaction from our employees which has enabled us to continue to operate throughout this COVID pandemic. The superb team spirit we have always enjoyed has enabled us to keep going and look for any opportunities to continue on our upward spiral.
“Our reputation for being flexible and agile is well-earned and we are always ready to do whatever it takes to protect our business and help our customers throughout this crisis. One good example is how we have worked closely with the brewing industry. With pubs and other hospitality venues having to close, the brewers have had to transfer a lot of their business from producing kegs into providing their products in bottles and cans. We have worked long into the night to help them with this challenging transition as we are very experienced in this sector.”
Kingfisher has also been quick to support the health services in the UK.
During the pandemic we have worked long hours to provide the NHS with labelling for ‘critical care’ products and we have also been delighted to produce the ‘Feed NHS’ promotional stickers which is part of the campaign to provide NHS workers with healthy, hot meals throughout the COVID crisis. Kingfisher’s involvement gained on-line celebrity endorsement and we were delighted with this recognition for the efforts of our team.
So, by extending our working hours, being agile and flexible and focussing on quality and customer satisfaction, Kingfisher Labels has remained competitive throughout the pandemic.
2020 has obviously been very challenging for millions of people and thousands of businesses around the world and as we enter the second half of the year the team at Kingfisher Labels remains upbeat and positive. We are enormously proud of our team and what they have done to adapt to incredibly difficult trading conditions this year. We know you cannot stand still in this market if you wish to achieve consistent business growth and we are excited about the future.
For more information and to start your journey with Kingfisher Labels, please contact our Sales Director, Andy Watts on 01454 321456 or e-mail Andy: andy@kingfisherlabels.co.uk