Setting up in shop in former Moben showrooms is KutchenArte, a newly-established multiple retailer.
The retail venture is being led by CEO Dean Weston - a former director of Habitat Kitchens.
It follows the administration of both Moben and Habitat companies, but KutchenArte is independent of either of these.
The company has opened six stores across the South of England in London’s Baker Street, Cambridge, Stevenage, Bromley, Ruislip and Bristol. And it has plans to open more stores across a number of towns and cities in England.
KutchenArt is positioning itself as a retailer of premier German fitted kitchens and is supplying appliances from AEG, Baumatic, CDAand Neff.
In addition, the retailer is offering a ‘Perfekt Recipe’ service which means a free home consultation design service, as well as installation, with a five-year guarantee.
Private equity company EQT has appointed UBS to help dispose of the Sanitec Group, which includes Twyford Bathrooms in the UK.
Reuters has stated that a sale of the Sanitec Group could fetch up to €1billion for the Swedish private equity company.
Sanitec has 20 production sites in Europe and had net sales amounting to €777m in 2010 and employs 7,500 people.
It is not known whether Sanitec will be sold as a group or split up in a sale, nor is it understood if any interested parties have already been identified.
The sale of Sanitec could attract interest from other private equity-owned bathroom product groups and trade competitors, such as the likes of Roca, Toto or Kohler.
Marketing manager of Sanitec-owned Twyford Bathrooms, Mark Winfield commented: “We’ve been aware, for some time, that the company was being built up into an efficient organisation to be sold.”
And he added that for the Twyford Bathrooms business, “nothing has changed”.
EQT bought Sanitec in 2005 from private equity company BC Partners, which also owns German shower and tap manufacturer Grohe.
Appliance manufacturer Beko has invested in digital presence with a website re-launch, digital advertising and online competitions. The Beko website has a revised look and includes additional functions, with products given greater prominence through hero products.
Since the revamp, the website has doubled the number of visits compared to the same time last year. According to Beko the ‘where to buy’ page has also seen an upturn, with consumers using the page to find dealers of Beko products.
Many of the hero products on site are the same appliances that featured in the company’s Autumn TV ad campaign, which launched during the X factor.
In addition, Beko is also set to run a series of competitions and online advertising campaigns with high-profile home, family and lifestyle consumer websites.
Marketing director of Beko, Teresa Arbuckle commented: “Our brand came of age this year, when we celebrated 21 years of trading in the UK. To celebrate how far we’ve come, and to really show off some of our forward-thinking and innovative products, we’re delighted to be investing in digital technology and media, and reaching our consumers in a way that is meaningful and relevant to their evolving ways of living.”
Household appliance manufacturer Haier has moved to larger premises, with a showroom facility, in Ealing, West London.
Its 353 sqm offices and showroom have been designed for use by its trade customers and to ensure the brand has room for expansion in the UK.
In addition, it has opened a warehouse in Nottinghamshire with 30 times more storage than its previous facility in Aylesford, Kent.
Haier provides cooling, dishwashing and laundry appliances, as well as TVs and recently launched a nationwide consumer campaign for its MyZone refrigeration.
Its 3D fridge has scooped a Which? Best Buy and its Glass Design cooling range won an IFA Preview Award.
Jeff Moody, sales and marketing director at Haier UK, commented: “The move from Godalming [in Surrey] to Ealing, which gives us three times more space, clearly reflects our continued determination to consolidate and grow the Haier brand in the UK.
A natural step, following the opening of our first UK warehouse earlier this year, we are committed to achieving our goal to become one of the top 5 European and UK home appliance brands by 2014.”
Former Jacuzzi UK employees, ex-managing director Mark Prince and ex-marketing director Dave Tutton have acquired its Newcastle under Lyme ceramic factory and set up business as Silverdale Bathrooms. It will continue to be managed by the current ceramic production team, based on theStaffordshire site.
In addition, it will continue to manufacture the BC Sanitan brand, which was bought as part of the purchase and the Jacuzzi sanitaryware which will be manufactured under licence. The administration functions including customer service will also be based on the Silverdale Road site.
The buyout was supported by Skipton Business Finance and Midven, and will safeguard 50 jobs at the factory. In addition, it will enable Jacuzzi to focus on its hydrotherapy products , including whirlpool baths and hot tubs.
Mark Prince commented: “I am delighted that we have been successful in securing the future of this ceramic factory, with its long tradition of hand-crafted ceramic pieces. Some of the potters, who have worked at this site for many years, have a skill passed down from past generations and long may it continue while there is still a market that requires these quality British-made products.”
He added: “We are delighted to see the return of some of our very experienced customer service, focussed colleagues. Our core ethos will be to produce superb quality ‘World best’ British ceramic product and provide the very best of service to our long-term supporting retailers. It’s a great project to both be leading and supporting and we are all very excited about our future.”
Award-winning science writer and BBC broadcaster, Sue Nelson slammed the use of baths and claimed it will be ‘as socially unacceptable to have a huge, deep bathtub as it is now to drive a Hummer’, at the recent Bathroom Industry Conference.
She told of a personal experiment she conducted which put how much water is used whilst showering and bathing into perspective. Nelson measured that a three and a half minute shower used 48-litres, whereas a bath used 130-litres. Therefore she believes baths are on their way out, as new regulations are aiming for a total of 120 litres, per person, per day. She said: “Water efficiency is the next big issue, and what will drive consumers to act is whether it is socially acceptable for them to be seen wasting water. Consumer perceptions towards water can be changed little by little.”
However, Nelson suggested that there are not enough incentives, nor are they visible enough for consumers to ‘go green’, and the green idea needs to be communicated within the media”. She even pointed out that the word ‘sustainability’ still hasn’t been included in the dictionary.
In fact she demanded that the bathroom industry take stock immediately: “Sustainability within the water industry can simply not be ignored any longer. The industry must take proactive steps to ensure that it is not left behind on this issue.”
She suggested that bathroom manufacturers make water-saving products a must-have for the home and how it could help retail sales. Nelson concluded: “The industry must step up and lead now. The opportunity for the industry is by making these products desirable, it will drive consumer spending - a positive outcome for the industry.”
As we gear up for the UK's largest kitchen and bathroom trade show, we ask brand director of UBM Andrew Vaughan what can we expect of KBB Birmingham? The show takes place at the NEC from March 4-7, 2012.
How does kbb Birmingham compare to the show in 2010 in terms of exhibitors and size?
It looks like we will finish level year-on-year and hit the targets we set ourselves in these challenging times. kbb Birmingham 2012 will have a great mix of new and old exhibitors and reflect what is happening in the markets we serve. Hopefully showing how resilient and enterprising these industries are.
How many visitors do you expect to attend?
Let’s be realistic, in these tough climates if we attract along the 16,000 visitors who attended 2010 with the same quality of retailers, specifiers, developers and interiors designers we will all be happy.
A criticism of kbb Birmingham in 2010 was the lack of bathroom manufacturer representation. What are you going to do to attract more bathroom exhibitors?
Our bathroom customers have told us their main challenge to exhibiting is money. They recognise the importance of kbb as a show, but they often find getting the required ROI difficult because they build large stands, which can prove to be expensive. In association with the Bathroom Manufacturers Association, we have just launched the BMA Pavilion. [It]allow BMA members to take get beautiful brand-friendly stand builds, for a third of the normal cost they would pay if they used an individual stand builder.
Another area specifically for bathroom exhibitors is Heart of Relaxation, where we are inviting exhibitors to create the ultimate bathing experience.
We appreciate that some bathroom companies are looking to move more into the contract market, so we will be exploring the future of this sector in Contract Spaces. Companies will create the ultimate space that inspires and educates a contract focussed audience of architects, designers and developers.
Tell us about the seminar programme…
From our extensive research, an overriding theme occurred of retail master classes, to give our retail audience insight into strategies that could help their business especially in this time of economic crisis. So were working with Econsultancy to provide a day of marketing masterclasses featuring ecommerce, website, email and digital - really cost effective things that all business can benefit from.
We’re also working with The Society of British Interior Designers SBID to provide sessions for interior designers and Global Color Research will present the latest information on trends.
Following its launch in the UK last year, appliance brand Blomberg is set to extend its offer with the introduction of built-in models.
Blomberg entered the UK in May 2010 with a range of laundry, dishwashing and refrigeration products, with exclusive distribution in over 200 Euronics stores.
It now plans to introduce built-in ovens, hobs, a 10-litre dishwasher, a 7kg washing machine, combi frost-free fridge freezers, as well as a larder fridge and freezer.
All of Blomberg’s built-in ovens are A+, making them 20% more efficient than a standard A rated oven, and span from a single fan oven to a multifunction ‘programmable clean’ pyro model with electronic animated timer.
The hobs include ceramic touch control, gas hob with wok burner and a four zone induction hob.
All Blomberg appliances come with a three-year warranty, as standard, and the brand is sold in 50 countries worldwide.
Marketing director of parent company Beko, Teresa Arbuckle commented: “Following a strong start for the brand in the UK, we are delighted to be extending our Blomberg offering with this new range of premium built-in. Innovation and quality are at the forefront of Blomberg’s design, and with these new integrated models this is more evident than ever".
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Claygate Distribution based in Marden, Kent, has invested over £100,000 in a new training centre for retail customers and its staff, to improve their product knowledge.
The training centre features over 100 products spanning mirrors, furniture, brassware and sanitaryware from a range of manufacturers including VitrA, Roca and Hudson Reed and will host bi-monthly courses.
These courses will cover generic product knowledge including underfloor heating, wetrooms, pumps and whirlpools, as well as manufacturer specific.
According to Andrew Streek, who owns the company along with his brother Mel: “Our customers benefit by having a sharper liaison with our sales team and hopefully we benefit from increased sales.”
Mel Streek added: “It will also help customer services team. If a customer rings up and says they have a problem with a product, our customer services team can now go over to the centre and have a look at the product. They can see what the customer is referring to and understand what the problem is.”
However, Claygate Distribution sees the training centre educating all staff members, throughout the business.
Mel Streek continued: “The new training centre will benefit Claygate because we are always growing and our new staff need training on the products, as well as keeping our current staff up-to-date.”
And Andrew Streek added: “It will [also] benefit the warehouse team because they will understand better how to handle the boxes as they will know what is in them.”
Claygate Distribution invested £8.5million into its site in 2008 and has recently received planning permission to build another 30,000 square foot building next year.
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Home improvement retailer MFI has bounced back, after three years not trading, as an online retailer offering living, home office and dining room furniture, as well as nine bathroom collections.
Commercial director of MFI, Adrian Storr: "It's just a start for us as we need to get our product offer off the ground".
But the brand, which was synonymous with kitchens, has made the decision not to sell any.
It believes that to restore consumer confidence in the retail brand, following its administration and before the name was acquired by Walker Capital, it must focus on customer service. And the customer issues which dogged MFI were likely to be its kitchen sales.
Commercial director of MFI, Adrian Storr explained: “If you look at the issues that were in MFI previously, from a customer service and delivery point of view, they tended to be around the kitchen category. We shouldn’t underestimate how complex that is; to be able deliver a complete kitchen to a customer. There are about 250 separate components [in a kitchen sale] and if you’ve got one of those components missing, it could be that you can’t go ahead with your kitchen. And, obviously, it’s a big disruption to a household, not to have a functioning kitchen. It becomes very emotional and obviously that’s why it becomes very detrimental to the retailer that can’t deliver to what they’ve promised to the customer.”
Storr continued: “The furniture that we’re focusing on is predominantly a centre floor product and we had a very good service and reputation on this type of product. [MFI] was probably tainted by the complexity of the kitchen proposition.”
The home improvement company has now developed a five-stage checking process, with its 20 suppliers, to ensure deliveries are met for when consumers requested them.
However, MFI is not ruling out the opportunity of expanding into kitchens, as Storr said: “It’s not something that we’ve completely dismissed but my guidance is we only do it when it’s absolutely 100% robust.”
Although MFI has only just relaunched, the website had hundreds of hits "and heading to a thousand", at 10.00am on the day of its launch.
Home improvement brand MFI is set to return to the market as an online offer for bathroom, bedroom and home office furnishings. However, kitchens will not play a part in the portfolio.
The MFI brand was bought by Walker Capital, a private company which owns online and mail order bathroom retailer Victoria Plumb, in 2010. The management team, led by commercial director Adrian Storr who has 15 years’ experience in retail (including nine years at MFI), has taken two years to re-launch the MFI brand as an online offer.
It aims to provide ‘high quality luxurious and affordable home furnishings, with a first-class customer service’.
MFI has developed a service which allows the consumer to stipulate “a preferred delivery date when the order is made” and order tracking “to ensure customers receive the product they want at the time they’ve requested”.
A statement about the launch of online MFI read: “By launching a recognised brand free from legacy business they have developed unique systems taking all the best features from the market whilst learning from the mistakes of others.”
Premium appliance brand Scholtes has pulled out of the UK with immediate effect, leaving around 45-50 retailers in the lurch.
The announcement has left the industry shocked and bemused by its timing as it follows just four weeks after the opening of its Centre of Excellence on Wigmore Street in central London.
Adam Woolf, marketing director of the Indesit Company, commented: “Scholtès is pulling out of the UK and will not return for the foreseeable future.”
He added: “The company is committed to maintaining a significant investment in the built-in market by innovating in new products, unique design and advertising. However, to ensure that our customers and consumers fully benefit from our developments, we have decided to channel our investments into our high end LUCE by Hotpoint brand, which is gaining rapid momentum in the market place.
According to Woolf: "A couple of years ago when we launched Scholtes, we also brought another brand into the market place called LUCE by Hotpoint. Both these brands were brought into the market place really off the back of a time which was quite a strong economic growth. And as you know, the market has changed and is probably going to be what it is for the foreseeable future.
"We felt it was the right decision to focus our investment on the LUCE brand which is by Hotpoint, as oppose to Scholtes. What we have seen is LUCE has gained phenomenal momentum in the market place, it has really captured the kitchen studios and kitchen specialists imagination. And it is already far bigger than Scholtes."
Jason Verdi of Verdi Kitchens in Croydon is a Scholtes centre, with 12 working appliance displays, and was stunned when he found out about the appliance brand withdrawal: “We’ve invested into it quite heavily. We’ve advertised and just spend £4,000 on leaflets. I just couldn’t believe it when the rep phoned me”.
Ray cooper of Freestyle in Worthing has nine Scholtes displays across two showrooms: “We’ve cut into granite tops, Corian etc to make way for the unusual size that some of their products are. We did quite a good deal with the product, itself, but it’s the fitting of displays. The on-going cost of replacing those displays, including repairing worksurfaces, will run into thousands.”
Kitchen retailers are dismayed about the short notice of the withdrawal.
Jason Verdi says parent company of Scholtes, the Indesit Company should have informed the retailers before the decision was taken: “Before it even happened they should have got hold of the retailers and said ‘what we’re doing is pulling out of the UK but we’re going to make it a smooth transition through. From a business point of view, I don’t know why they did it. All they say that Italy in the economic climate just pulled the plug.”
Ray Cooper said: “We’re a bit up in the air at the moment. I spoke to their business development manager and also one of the reps. I’ve been told that I’m going to get the products that I’ve already got on order but they are not sure what’s happening with the displays. It leaves us in the lurch because I’ve got products on display, which I can’t sell. I don’t know what I can do with them. I’m very disappointed at the short notice. I was notified by VZUG.”
He added: “They’ve intimated to me that they might be a deal on the table to replace it with some Hotpoint”.
But Verdi commented: “I’m half tempted just to tell them all to sod off, to be honest. We always want to work with people who want to work with us. It’s not a case of it goes on the shop floor, we get it in cheap and we sell it out 4-5 weeks later and we make a packet on the appliance. We’ve got a kitchen going in January with six of [Scholtes] pieces in.”
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Celebrating its 25th anniversary, kitchen furniture manufacturer Mereway has taken this time to refocus on strengthening its Mereway Kitchens brand and invested in a showroom, at its head office in Birmingham.
All three of its collections – English Revival, Cucina Colore and the Complete Kitchen Collection, will now all be marketed as part of the Mereway Kitchens portfolio.
Mereway Kitchen showroom launched
as part of 25th anniversary celebrations
Sales and marketing director of Mereway, Graham Jones comments: “in some senses, until now we have been hiding our light under the proverbial bushel.” He continued: “We believe that it’s time for Mereway Kitchens to raise our profile, claiming well-deserved recognition for being British-made, hand-crafted kitchens of quality, backed by commitment to outstanding customer service”.
Mereway plans to market its brand under the theme ‘Live Life the Mereway, with a series of lifestyle images and ‘stories’, linking Mereway with inspirational products, quality, service and ‘exceptional customer experience’. Jones added: “Those who know Mereway well understand our values, but a re-focus on our brand with a powerful marketing campaign, will enable us to communicate those values to a wider audience and take our rightful position in the marketplace.”
In addition, Mereway is also set to introduce a range Trend Interiors, formerly Trend Joinery, which will be repositioned as a ‘quality kitchen at a more affordable price.”
Its head office now features a showroom with 13 fully-equipped displays for its Mereway Kitchens, and a separate display showcase for its Trend Interiors range.
Philippa Turrell,
Editor of Kitchens & Bathrooms News
Okay, admit it. Who stole 2011? One minute I remember opening credit card statements with the presents from Christmas 2010, and the next thing thumbing through Thomas Cook brochures. Now the ‘holidays are coming’ Coke ads are back on TV, one of the Nolans is trying to sell me a ‘buy-now-pay later’ Christmas catalogue and Iceland Stacey (didn’t she used to be a singer?) is driving home to Dagenham for a frozen food buffet. Is it just me or has the past 12 months passed at supersonic speed?
Although as fleeting as 2011 seemed, it has made its impact on the kitchen and bathroom industry. We’ve bid farewell to some familiar industry faces and witnessed the fall of recognisable high street retail names – Johnson & Johnson, Focus, Moben and Dolphin. We’ve talked, mused, digested and even protested about the kitchen and bathroom industry – often coming back to that one dreaded topic, the Internet!
But in these shifting sands, it’s perhaps comforting that it’s not all out with the old and in with the new. There is still a question mark over Bathstore’s destiny, Lechner and Keramag have both returned to the UK. OURS Sanitaryware has acquired a former Ideal Standard factory and already begun to employ. And as we go to press, rumblings at the rumour mill suggest we may even see another familiar face return to the fold. Although an official announcement has yet to be made, the MFI brand may be set to return as an online offer. Although a spokesperson for the company did confirm there will be no kitchens sold, the company could offer bathrooms. If MFI has a focus on moving boxes, more than in-store service, could it bring life back to the brand and see further pressure placed on the high street retailer? Could the end of 2011 signal a time for ringing the changes – with needs for all kbb retailers to embrace internet sales - or is it just the case of same old name, same old business?
With all this interest in the UK market, perhaps it means the worst of the recession (at least in our country) is over. While industry experts predict there may still be tough times ahead, could it actually suggest things won’t get any worse? Well, I for one will raise a glass to that.
Showroom based on central theme of 'Primitive Future'
Award-winning designer Patricia Urquiola has created the Centre of Excellence in London for premium appliance brand Scholtés. The 300sqm space situated in the famed area for kitchens Wigmore Street, in Central London, spans across two floors.
It has been designed to have three distinct uses; as a showcase for appliances, training and workshop area for live cooking demonstrations and tastings, and even an exclusive restaurant for private dining.
Patricia Urquiola commented: “The concept was to do a space for giving services, which is the kitchen, a live place [for cookery demonstrations and private dining] and the showroom, just to display the items but in a way that was not a fake kitchen.”
It’s not only the use but the styling of the showroom that sets it apart from traditional kitchen or appliance studios. Based upon a 600 x 600mm module, the same dimensions as a Scholtés oven, the showroom is themed upon the core idea of ‘Primitive Future’, a deconstruction of a typical environment to re-interpret how retailers and consumers interact and understand appliances in a studio.
Working kitchen for cookery demos
or private dining experiences
Certainly the raw but welcoming experience focuses the mind on the look and uses of the Scholtés appliances. It features copper walls, throughout, with smooth wooden display area for the appliances on the ground floor. This is complemented by a textured wood kitchen, in the basement, designed to be used either as workstations for cookery demonstrations and training, or as a private dining area.
Michal Warykiewicz from Poland, has been announced as the winner of the 4th edition of the Roca Jump the Gap competition for his ‘In & Out’ shower concept.
The award, presented at the recently opened London Roca Gallery, was announced by famed architect Ron Arad who headed up the jury of design and architecture personalities.
The concept creates an exterior and interior shower, built on top of a circular base, with two columns and fixed semicircular glass screens. The shower rotates 180 degrees, transforming bathroom shower mode to garden shower mode. The exterior option provides a shower in the garden, while the indoor mode ensures privacy through the activation of liquid crystals to make the glass opaque.
Warykiewicz’s ‘In & Out’ shower concept was chosen as the winning design from a short list of 30 projects, and he will receive a trophy, as well as 5,000 euros.
Plans for the 5th Edition of Jump the Gap is currently underway, with the official launch planned for September 2012.
The competition was launched at 100% Design in 2010 and received 3004 entries from 92 countries.
Editorial Assistant Britta O'Boyle takes her pick from the high fashion interior show, that is, 100% Design
Contemporary interiors exhibition 100% Design always manages to showcase something a little daring, edgy, and potentially price prohibitive. Even during these tough economic times, there was no exception to this rule. In fact the talking point of the Capital’s cutting-edge interior show was ‘the world’s most expensive kitchen’ (allegedly). This claimed many national news and blog headlines, so it's such a shame that kitchens had very little representation - with only two suppliers to view. In fact, the show could easily have benefitted from more bathroom suppliers too, with just a handful taking the chance to exhibit. But those who did take space, at 100% Design, displayed some very desirable designs. After all, what else would you expect from a show that 'interviews' its exhibitors and rejects those that don't quite make the mark?
We’ve hand-picked 'six of the best' kitchen and bathroom exhibitors, at the show, which we think could tempt designers’ taste buds and their clients wallets!
PRICE IS RIGHT: Marazzi teamed up with Sub Zero and Wolfappliances to display the world’s most expensive kitchen, costing around £300,000. The limited edition Coloesseo Oron kitchen is one in a series of ten ‘no expense spared’ kitchens. Designers can choose from 24 carat gold leaf, crocodile embossed leather, metallic gloss chameleon lacquers, Swarovski crystal lights and Venetian inked stained gold glass finishes.
STEEL APPEAL: Componendo showcased selected console units from its collection of stainless steel bathroom furniture. All the products are bespoke, with the surface of the steel protected with a treatment against finger prints and water residue. Venti (shown) is available with a choice of six basins from flush-welded steel to inset Corian or freestanding glass and a choice of glass top and optional lacquered finishes.
MUSIC SOUNDS BETTER WITH YOU: TheTouch Multi-Media Shower (MMS) from VADO took centre-stage of its stand. The Touch MMS takes certainly showering one step further with features including MP3 player input, speakers, and illuminated multi-function showerhead. It was joined by a range of mid-market taps and shower valves.
SO SOLID CREW: Adding to its Brionne solid surfacing range, Hanex introduced two new patented effects, featuring clear acrylic chips in the solid surface. Helsinki and Olso bring the total number of solid surfacing to 12, in a palette of 100 designs. The Hanex palette offers finishes including plain colours, sparkling and natural stones, as well as translucent finishes which can be back lit.
BREAKING THE BORDER: Twyford Bathrooms showed its Moda Rimfree WC, which it claimed to be the first rimless WC for the domestic market. It is designed to be ultra-hygienic and easy to clean, as there is no rim for germs to hide. It features self-draining jets at the back of the bowl to release water which flows around the entire inside of the pan and operates with a 4/2.6 litre flush.
FRENCH CONNECTION: Swedish supplier Stalson introduced the Paris range of taps made from stainless steel and designed by Simon Gourde. The taps comes in large or small versions and in a choice of mirror polished or matt brushed finishes. Paris brassware also comes with water-saving aerator nozzles.
Editor of Kitchens & Bathrooms News,
Philippa Turrell,
Scanning tweets, recently, one caught my eye. It read “Most house fires start in the kitchen, so how can we address this safety issue to our benefit”? WHAT? I know it’s tough out there on the high street but have kitchen retailers really come to this? While I understand the company was looking for an alternative angle to traditional sales patter, I can’t see how this could ever help close a deal – unless of course you’re trading in domestic fire extinguishers.
When a customer enters a kitchen showroom, they are looking to create a dream environment that adds value to their home and lifestyle; they’re not considering how to prevent household disasters. The kitchen company retorted that it could help address consumers’ unspoken concerns. Unspoken or unknown? Why would you even bring this to a potential client’s attention?
If you were buying a new car, you wouldn’t expect the salesperson to point out how many road accidents happen each year, or the number of shark attacks if booking a holiday to the Golden Coast. And if they did, wouldn’t you just take your hard-earned savings and invest it in something ‘safer’?
While I’m no expert in sales, surely starting with style, quality, value for money, or technological convenience would entice consumers. And the kitchen’s desirable but functional features should be backed up with appropriate safety benefits, just as a matter of course.
To be fair the company did state ‘if it reassures the customer, then promoting the safety aspects of your products becomes a selling point’. I don’t disagree with this, at all. Of course, safety is paramount in the kitchen – and is particularly of concern for consumers with small children -but in a sales pitch should it really come first?
Buckle your seatbelts; it looks like it’s going to be a bumpy ride. No sooner have we seen the back of the ‘R’ word, global economic experts are suggesting we get set for round two. Something about PIGS – I believe – but not to blame the pork industry.
It could spell more trouble ahead for the kitchen and bathroom industry, which has already seen its fair share of business woes, with the recent financial difficulties at the low end of the market - Focus DIY and Homeform – and premium-end market too at Simon Bray.
There are also recent shake-ups and uncertainties in the distribution chain, Mark Two suffered with the loss of the Focus DIY business, then got hit again by the demise of Dolphin. There have also been changes at Waterline, MD Mike Lawrence having resigned due to ill health, and unspecified alterations to the BCG business. Although, again, it is suspected it may be a change to personnel.
It could also be that parent company of BCG, Wolseley, has listed the company as one of 19 to sell or improve. Although it is unknown which Wolseley companies are still on the hit-list, industry pundits suggest BCG has been included alongside Bathstore. Could this distributor be set to join the likes of ElectricCenter and Brandon Hire which have already been hived off? And if so, who would be the likely buyer? There has already been talk of a management buyout but could an acquisition by a competitor be far more likely?
Oddly, though, while there are changes at supplied level, kitchen and bathroom retailers and designers appear to be flourishing. Those who are active in the world of social media have been reporting a flurry of orders, many of which are reported as unusual for this time of year. So, is the pull-through of sales just taking too long, as consumers take more time over making decisions to part with their cash? Or is this a retail anomaly, as consumers get in quick, before the next wave of financial fears, with little to back up orders after that?
While I certainly don’t advocate a ‘Chicken Little’ panic that ‘the sky is falling in’, I would suggest we all keep one eye on the future, while not taking one eye off the past. Don’t forget the valuable lessons you’ve already learned and should there be a second stalling, you’ll be better prepared for that icy dip.
Undisputed queen of interiors (not to mention taupe), Kelly Hoppen MBE is currently on-screen presenting Channel 5’s ‘Superior Interiors’. She is guiding consumers on room design, in her signature style, to create simple yet opulent homes. Kelly has not only created interiors for elite private clients, yachts, hotels and restaurants, but has also shared her style secrets in several books, an iPhone App and even launched a Kelly Hoppen design school – where do I sign up?
What you may or may not know is that Kelly has also created three ranges of brassware for Waterfront. The original self-titled Kelly Hoppen collection was joined by the luxurious Kelly Hoppen Limited Edition range, and then KH2.
In an interview, earlier this year, we emailed to ask her thoughts...Well, she is amazingly busy, just follow her @IMKellyHoppen to see...
Kelly Hoppen Limited Edition
brassware for Waterfront
“I simply wanted to design my own signature collection. I wanted product that was very modern and very square, with clean functional lines,” says Kelly when asked what she wanted to achieve with her design. “As I do with all of my product design projects, I designed product that I would like to use within my own interior designs; items that I would constantly search for but couldn’t find.” And so Kelly Hoppen branded brassware was conceived, featuring her design ethos, which she explains as “simple, clean lines and functional”.
KH2 three-piece
basin mixer
The Kelly Hoppen brassware collection features long, sleek, lines, with geometric, flat spouts and handles, while a ‘waterfall’ form is central to the design of Kelly Hoppen Limited Edition. KH2 still boasts rectilinear styling but plays with slightly more detail than the original range.
But taps and showers form just one of the many and varied product ranges Kelly has created, from bed linen to wallpaper, shutters through to paint. However, she doesn’t compare the disciplines, saying: “The tap range is its own entity but works in harmony with my design philosophy and never looks out of place within my bathroom designs.”
And Kelly is now expanding all of current product ranges, as well as having recently published her seventh design book ‘Kelly Hoppen Ideas’ and is already working on her eighth! It is, says Kelly “very exciting times!”
Exciting undoubtedly... but spinning all those plates (Kelly Hoppen-designed no doubt), it's a surprise it's not exhausting, too!
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Despite its decision to pull out of the UK earlier this year, Lechner has now returned with its worktops which are available through sole supplier and distributor Jetstone. Although, it was claimed at the time, by Lechner UK office staff, the decision to exit the UK was based on not achieving enough orders, managing director of Jetstone Verkoop John van den Heuvel slammed the allegation: “Lechner’s exit was not solely based on lack of order, the sales figures from the last two and a half years suggest that it was a steady growth, with a forecast to do somewhere in the region of £1.5million by the end of this year.”
He continued: “If after you have cut your overheads down and it’s still not adding up in a time of recession, and then another dip in the economy is predicted, it’s time to make decision and that is what they did.”
Although the UK climate is still troubled, Jetstone explains it has been able to reduce Lechner’s overhead costs, to be able to reintroduce the worktop brand. John van den Heuvel stated: “When we approached Lechner to look at bringing the products back over, it was, for them an ideal solution as they already operate in a very similar way in France, Spain and a few other countries. Jetstone for them is an ideal partner, we have reduced their overheads to transport into Holland, and we take care of the rest.”
Jetstone already supplies granite and quartz worktops to around 120 customers and used to supply the Moben business nationally. By adding the Lechner worktop offer of glass, solid surface and laminates, it is set bolster the offer and expand Jetstone’s retail base.
According to Van den Heuvel, there will be no difference in terms of delivery, lead time or after care service, and the company has even employed Gary Holt of Lechner UK in a similar position to the one he held as technical sales manager.
And he firmly believes the Lechner brand will now remain in the UK, stating that Jetstone does not need to achieve any sales targets to keep the business: “Sales figures aren’t important to us and have not been set by Jetstone or Lechner, at any level. Jetstone as a company are already successful in their own right in the UK. We do not need the Lechner products to survive or grow. We see the synergy as an extension of our portfolio and not a stand-alone.
“Jetstone are financially stable and a solid ‘Gentleman’s agreement’ between two of the largest worksurface manufacturers in Europe and Jetstone’s absolute commitment to the UK ensures that the products are here to stay.”
Jetstone's UK office is based in Hemel Hempstead.
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London is now home to a show-stopping architecture created by Zaha Hadid Architects – no not the Olympic Aquatic Centre – but the Roca London Gallery in Chelsea Harbour. Inspired by ‘the power of water as a transforming element’, it's been created to appear as though water has sculptured and defined the 1,100m2 single floor space.
However, the design is not just for looks alone. Its form is to help visitors understand the relationship between architecture and the design of Roca products. Zaha Hadid explained the concept: “Our work imbues architecture with the intricacy and beauty of natural forms. Using a formal language derived from the movement of water, the Roca London Gallery has been eroded and polished by fluidity; generating a sequence of dynamic spaces carved from this fascinating interplay between architecture and nature.”
Created to be more than a display space, the Roca London gallery is available to a wide audience from architects through to design-savvy students. And it is proposed to be a London hub for exhibitions, meetings, presentations, seminars and debates.
Miguel Angel Munar, senior managing director of Roca Bathroom Products division commented: “For Roca it is essential to have a presence in a city like London which is a benchmark for design and innovation on a global level. London is also of strategic important to our future business development since it allows us to be close to our top international distributors and clients. At the Roca London Gallery, Zaha Hadid has perfectly interpreted all our brand values, as well as our company philosophy in a singularly exciting and tangible way.”
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There’s nothing better than seeing kitchens, displayed in their own habitat, to get a full picture of a brand, particularly if they are trying to find a foothold in the UK. And that’s exactly what we did, taking a trip to Ewe (pronounced Evie) new 1,600sq m showroom in Linz, Austria, to see its flagship Intuo brand.
Images hardly do the brand justice. Silky to the touch, black matt glass was shown alongside stylish horizontal woodgrains (shown). And these furniture ranges were joined by booked-matched walnut veneer, which is held in stock for two years should damage occur to the units. Each of the roomsets provided real design inspiration, including concealed wall units, inset stainless storage, and the use of cabinets as room dividers.
But the talking point of the showroom was the Virtual Design Studio, allowing retailers and their customers to try out combinations of door fronts and worktops. This technology allows you to choose the kitchen and worktop on screen, then the computer image is beamed onto furniture blanks to create a genuine 3D kitchen. Of course, this virtual impression doesn't provide textures, but a display stand of samples can help those who need to look and touch their kitchen before purchase. According to Gunter Schwarzlmuller, marketing director of EWE the technology is a world’s first for the kitchen industry and it just could be the future of all retail showroom design, everywhere!
