The Green Deal has prompted many UK manufacturers to try and use their muscle to jump in on the act and go further outside their comfort zone. We explore the latest company jumping on the band wagon venturing in to solar panels.
Would you buy a car from a greengrocer or would you expect a garage to sell you electricity, the answer to both is clearly a resounding no. Although the world of commerce is rapidly changing there are certain rules which we thought still applied, phrases such as “leave it to the experts” and “horses for courses” have become a part of everyday life and simply mean where the expertise exists, use it. This situation could be about to change and it’s all because of the “green” bandwagon , the gravy train that exasperates so many of us but equally sends a number of happy suppliers running to the bank with our hard earned taxes.
The latest company to join this revolution is better known for its “self assembly instructions” than its products although few would suggest that their entry onto our high streets/ out of town shopping malls has been anything but an unqualified success, IKEA Swedish giant of the contemporary furnishings industry – come on down.
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And the latest addition to their range of every day household objects is, you probably have not guessed it unless you have been monitoring their advertising, but IKEA are about to become the new “mover and shaker” in the world of Solar panels. So is it a new super innovation from Sweden, sadly it is not, the panels are in fact manufactured in China and retail at £5,700 including installation and yes the advertising blurb states the customer can recoup the costs in the standard seven years – Chinese manufacture and IKEA installation could make for some interesting instructions.
All the correct information in all the correct places IKEA are just the latest in a growing line of “major players” stepping out of their comfort zone and using the power of their profile to leverage sales and in so doing take away business from the SME’s who are struggling to survive in the increasingly competitive market place.
The thought process of these major players is not wrong and with their superior buying power they are certain to achieve the best discounts for their clients, but is this really the best way forward for commerce or will we all look back in twenty years with fond memories of buying our car from a garage, our fruit and vegetables from a greengrocer and wonder what ever happened to the individual entrepreneur.
More on the Green Deal’s recent performance here