With the Government announcement yesterday that the only worker restrictions being considered for May 5th are construction, outdoor and gardening activities there has been a huge rise in contractors seeking to secure materials to complete projects. “A lot of projects had to simply stop mid-stream or just before completion,” said the head of product sales, Martin Goucher. “Landscapers are very keen to get back to work as soon as possible and despite no official word, we’ve seen a huge rise in enquiries already today.”
While O’Brien’s sales staff are doing everything possible to satisfy demand, there are concerns that rush back to complete work will cause issues and delays in supply. “We saw it with supermarkets as everyone piled in at the same time and things ran out. I think things have settled now. We’ve adjusted and gotten used to expecting queues and social distancing norms. Things will likely be similar in for the supply of commercial products to trade customers. The best advice I can give to the landscape community is to plan well ahead and anticipate some delays,” In addition to planning well ahead, Martin also advises being proactive with suppliers. “The smart operators are already talking to us and other suppliers. They are placing advance orders, timetabling deliveries, asking questions about protocols and safe deliveries. They are being proactive.”
As for the products in demand, Martin is clear; “Based on current enquiries, the focus is on finishing products such as lawn turf, compost and bark mulch products. I will expect this for the next two weeks and then it will change as new projects get underway. There is a huge amount of pent up demand out there. Combine this with how important gardens have become and the fact that we’re all going to be staycationing this year, and we have the recipe for a very busy few months”.
The landscape depot will continue to operate a secure delivery service for its range of landscape and garden products. A secure collection point will also be available from next week for trade customers only. All orders must be placed by phone or email. Due to restrictions, we are only accepting card payments at this time. If you have any questions or comments, please contact Martin on 086 829 2071 or via at email . Visit our landscape essentials page here . General enquires can be submitted through our contact page here