Thursday 22 December 2011

KutchenArte sets up store in Moben shops

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, CDA  and 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.

Wednesday 21 December 2011

Sanitec for sale

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.

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Monday 19 December 2011

Beko invests in online

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.”

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Friday 9 December 2011

Haier expands UK operation

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.”



Tuesday 6 December 2011

Jacuzzi sells BC Sanitan brand and factory

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 the  Staffordshire 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.”

Friday 2 December 2011

BBC Nelson says baths are as socially unacceptable as Hummers

Sue Nelson at the
Bathroom Industry Conference
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.”

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KBB show..now tell!

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.


For the full interview see the January issue of Kitchens & Bathrooms News.

Thursday 1 December 2011

Blomberg enters built-in market

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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