03 Oct Brexit and Irish Business in the Sunday Times

With the deadline of the 31^st of October fast approaching, Boris Johnson is convinced that he will take Britain out of the European Union, deal or no deal, come what may! As the whole of Europe braces itself for the impact of Brexit, we ask: what will It mean for Irish businesses like Garden Rooms? John Sherry, our managing director, discussed its possible implications on Irish businesses with the Sunday Times.

Precautionary Steps For Brexit

Speaking about the impact of Brexit on the market, John notes that “we’re certainly aware that market confidence might change”. Explaining that the Garden Rooms finish is to a luxury standard, and that luxury products are often the first to be put on the long finger at times of rocky market confidence “ours is a luxury product in that, if you feel good, you’ll buy it but that can turn on and off like a tap”. John would prefer to take precautionary steps, such as outsourcing construction workers, rather than compromise the quality of our product, “you probably pay a premium, compared to having staff in house, but the prudent side of me says I’d be able to adjust more quickly, so that’s the model we use”.

Investing to Cope With Brexit

As Sunday times Journalist Sandra O’Connell notes, “The irony is that the best way to cope with Brexit is to invest”. In other words, a practical way to beat Brexit may be to stay confident within our own economy and focus on supporting Irish business, giving stability in the home market. As the title of the article suggests – the solution for small Irish businesses like Garden Rooms may be to “Keep on building to beat Brexit”. Business remains good, and John remains hopeful, but the lessons learnt in the past are the key to securing Garden Rooms continued success in the future.

From Log Cabins To the Ultimate Range

The Garden rooms story began back in 2003, starting with the sale of log cabins before advancing to our CUBE design in 2012, before further expanding with our Ultimate range in 2016. The Garden Rooms journey is one many Irish business owners will be familiar with. By 2007, Garden Rooms was making a €1.8m turnover. However, as we all know, 2007 was to become a dull chapter of the history book with the Irish economy collapsing into recession and small businesses across Ireland being put to the test.

Building Reserves To Future Proof The Business

Although the business is now back to its former stability, John explains that the lessons learnt by carrying the business through the previous recession are ingrained in how he is ensuring Garden Rooms is prepared for the uncertainty Brexit will bring, “a key part of my strategy is building reserves to help get the business through any difficult times. Before I was caught up in the whole soft-landing thing. Now its about building for the future”. A hard lesson learnt in the past has resulted in an altered business-plan for the future, which will hopefully see Garden Rooms and Irish businesses alike to successfully manage the uncertainty looming on October 31^st.

Garden Rooms That Last

Whatever happens with Brexit one thing that is a certainty is that our Garden Rooms are designed and built to last, using premium, quality materials. Make sure to call into our showroom to see our range of Garden Rooms and if you’ve any questions about them then please give us a call now on +353 1 8642 888 or contact us online for more information.