As I write this (25.10.2024), there are 60 days left to Christmas day; 8 weeks and a few days.
Plenty of time to buy Christmas presents, and food, but limited time to dress your windows and doors.
The Lead Time
In the made-to-measure (MTM) industry, you can’t walk in to a shop and take it away the same day. Our products take time, they are made to your specifications. When you buy something from us, we give you a “lead time”- an approx. date when we can install your product (if you are using our service), or when you can collect your purchase from the showroom. Depending on the supplier and the country of origin, this could be 2 weeks up to 16 weeks. If you are using our installation service, this is 4 weeks up to 16 weeks.
But now we are in autumn/ winter, and there are additional considerations:
The Christmas Cut-Off Date
Our suppliers watch their orders grow and grow at this time of year. They take on extra staff, but there comes a point when the close their books for pre-Christmas orders. Literally called the “Christmas cut-off date”.
Orders can still be placed, but suppliers will not guarantee you can have them for Christmas; and as you get closer to the holiday season, they may not even look at the order until January.
This date varies from product to product. Simple things like metal venetian blinds, roller blinds, vertical blinds, can run into end November even beginning of December before they close the books on them. Wooden and MDF shutters- that cut off date was September!
The Unexpected Delays
Plus there are unexpected delays that are completely out of our control; here is the latest update from one of our shutter suppliers regarding Chinese shutter deliveries:
“Due to the ongoing vessel capacity crisis, large companies bringing in their Christmas peak freight early, and the continued disruption in the Red Sea, freight movements are continuing to be unpredictable. This has had the knock-on impact of port congestion at key ports on the route from China.”
These container vessels are navigating several countries, the Suez canal, the Red Sea - if pirates are not there - or redirecting around the Cape of Good Hope if they are, which adds on two weeks to a delivery; and once they arrive at the UK, the are navigating behind priority dockings for companies who have paid extra to ensure they have Christmas stock to sell, and- the old favourite, short staffing at UK ports.
This situation mostly relates to shutters, but some industry components are also sourced from China.
The Fast Filling Diary!
We watch our diary fill faster and faster (we know how lucky we are); but Christmas is the same date every year, and immoveable. When we look at whether we can install before Christmas we look at the lead times and count on, and also work backwards; shutters ordered in August and September fill the week before Christmas. MTM roman blinds and more specialist blinds often 6 -7 weeks are also already filling December. Once our diary is full, we close out books, irrespective of what our suppliers can offer.
Finally, external blinds and awnings are big business, and with milder winters are used much later into the seasons than in the past. Professional installation is essential to ensure these products are installed safely and securely for years to come. Damp and/ or cold weather prevents this happening, as the acrylic resin bonding can’t set under certain temperatures. Wet weather also causes safety issues for the team - electrical installations in wet weather are a definite no.
Don’t sit thinking you have 60 days to make a decision, time is running out. Talk to us now about your Christmas window decorations.
