Divine Inspiration at The Cube by Electrolux

The Cube by Electrolux overlooks the River Thames

If you’re in need of divine Inspiration, look up, and you’re guaranteed to find it there! Well, you are in central London and until September 30, anyway. The Cube by Electrolux has just arrived from Milan, transported via 11 lorries, and featuring its latest range of Inspiration appliances.

This 140sqm, 67 tonne pop-up ‘chefs table’ (with emphasis on the word ‘up’ ), is perched on top of the Royal Festival Hall on London’s Southbank. Around 5,000 diners are expected to be eating lunch and dinners, over the next four months, served by one of a six-strong team of Michelin-starred chefs. The chef team includes Sat Bains from Restaurant Sat Bains in Nottinghamshire; Claude Bossi from Hibiscus in Mayfair; Daniel Clifford from Midsummer House in Cambridge; Tom Kitchen from The Kitchen in Edinburgh and Jonray and Peter Sanchez-Iglesias from Casamia in Bristol.

These renowned chefs will not only be at the pass but also mingling with the booked guests - (paying between £175 and £215 for a set course including wine) to give hints and tips on cooking and how to achieve the results using Electrolux appliances. Head of marketing for Electrolux, Graham Bremer says: “We are releasing seat tickets in stages and already we are fully booked for the next five weeks."

The Cube forms a stage for Electrolux, which is repositioning its brand at a higher level, and leveraging its credibility using its 90-year history in professional environments. One in three hotel chains use Electrolux appliances for their kitchens or laundries and over half of Europe’s Michelin-starred restaurants use Electrolux equipment. Managing director, Ian Banes said at the launch of Inspiration: “10% of our global sales are professional and this division drives the technology for domestic design”. And Sophie Davidson, head of product, also commented at the event: “We have taken a lot of learning from professional ranges and injected them into domestic appliances.” It means the Inspiration range sees the introduction of a CombiSteam oven with temperature probe, InfinitePure induction hob with rotary sliders and fridge freezers with a single compressor to run dual cooling systems. And Electrolux is already planning to further augment its Inspiration range in September. It plans to launch the Inspiro oven with automatic volume sensing and self-adjusting cooking, gas hobs with vertical flame burners, laundry and dishwashers.

For more on these appliances, design trends, industry news and views, make sure you subscribe for FREE to Kitchens & Bathrooms News.

KBSA supports Independent Retailer Month

The Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialists Association, KBSA is supporting Independent Retailer Month which runs throughout July. The campaign was launched in the UK last year, and aims to highlight the benefits of using independent retailers, acknowledge their role in the local community, local economy and retail sector.
Retailer members of the KBSA will benefit from the national publicity and have access to a range of material to promote the campaign in their own showrooms. It includes logos, posters, how-to guides, tips and advice from the Independent Retailer Month website.

Sales and marketing director of the KBSA, Ruth Ward said: “We are delighted to be supporting this important initiative. There has never been a better time to highlight the benefits of buying from an independent specialist retailer, such as a KBSA member.

“We will be encouraging our members to actively participate and utilise all the support on offer, which is readily available. The campaign will also be supported on the usual social media channels ensuring that is has the widest possible reach.”

Independent Retailer Month is championed by Clare Raynor and supported by organisations, including the Federation of Small Businesses and the British Independent Retailers Association.

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CEO of BSH UK believes industry “self-guidance” best for appliance safety

CEO of BSH Home Appliances UK, Michael Steinle has stated it is the industry’s responsibility to ensure appliance safety, not government. His comment comes after a Which? investigation into appliances that have caught fire and its call for government to collect and analyse fire data and alert manufacturers.

Although he wouldn’t be drawn on the Which? report or to the specific issue of faulty appliances causing fires, Steinle stated on the topic of appliance safety: “I think the appliance industry has a responsibility and I took that onto the place of AMDEA [Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Electrical Appliances]. We discussed it and it is an industry goal and objective. It means open communication and taking up our responsibility to the consumer. That’s what we hope to achieve and what I want to achieve – all the white goods manufacturers following a guideline because that is what you have to do. [Issues regarding safety] influences [all appliances] negatively, [whether] it’s brand A, B, C [or] D.”

He continued: “It was clearly targeted from me into AMDEA that we have to have a common objective and we have to follow it. So it’s self-guidance. If you forward the responsibility to an external body, Government or whoever it is, does it work? We think we follow our responsibilities. We did follow it and we have a very good example [of doing that] over the last year. We went through the process and we took up our responsibility.”

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Kitchens & Bathrooms News conquers Three Peaks Challenge, raising £5,000 for charity

Kitchens & Bathrooms News’ assistant editor Britta O’Boyle and advertisement manager Tom Lee completed the Three Peaks Challenge, helping raise over £5,000 for the Coins Foundation.

The charity supports construction projects addressing poverty issues across the world, in a sustainable way, from rebuilding homes following the Haiti earthquake to funding building projects in Nyumbani for AIDS orphans.

Britta O’Boyle and Tom Lee formed part of an eight-strong team from Hamerville Magazines, the publisher of Kitchen & Bathrooms News, who completed the challenge within 24-hours.

The walkers faced tough conditions, from the icy temperature of -17˚C on Ben Nevis to 80mph winds on Snowdon but still managed a sprint finish.

Thank you to all the sponsors, including Aqualux, Facta, JM Marketing and Roca.

For more industry news, views and product trends, make sure you receive your free issue of Kitchens & Bathrooms News.

Aqualux acquired by Fetim Group

Aqualux Products Holdings has been acquired from AFG Arbonia-Forster Holdings  by the Netherlands-based Fetim Group for an undisclosed sum. Mike Heath, Aqualux Managing Director, says, “This demonstrates confidence in the Aqualux brand and its recent product developments. Joining the Fetim Group will allow the business to grow substantially over the coming years and to continue extending its quality product offer.”

The Fetim Group is an international trading company specialising in the design, development, marketing and sale of construction products, flooring, home decoration and sanitary products to the Professional, Trade and Retail chains. The Fetim Group is active in over 40 countries.


AFG Arbonia-Forster Holdings,parent company of Kermi, acquired Aqualux following an MBO after its parent company BHD Group went into administration

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EDITOR'S COMMENT: Flying the flag

Kitchens & Bathrooms News
Editor, Philippa Turrell

I’m feeling decidedly patriotic. It could be because we’re nearing the eve of The Queen’s 60-year reign on the throne (regal not domestic) or perhaps the fast-approaching Olympics. It could even be that I’ve just found Union Flag paper plates, cups and napkins at the back of the kitchen cupboard, clearly leftover from the last British occasion. But whatever the reason, I think it’s about time we all celebrated what Britain has to offer.

While we love the bathrooms and kitchens offered by our friends in Europe, we also shouldn’t forget what is supplied from companies based on these shores. Nevermind Mary Portas making knickers in a Manchester factory – the kitchen and bathroom industries have proudly put Britain on the map for some time. And it’s also particularly timely that a British company –  retail chain Bathstore – has recently dominated the industry headlines. It was founded in Croydon, (the home of supermodel Kate Moss and TV sitcom Terry & June), and what could be more British than that? Now, after two years of rumour and conjecture about a possible Bathstore sale, it can finally be confirmed.

The speculation of its sale by Wolseley may not have had the “will they, won’t they” suspense of the Nescafe Gold Blend couple in the 80s. Following the company’s announcement that it planned to sell or improve 19 companies (although never named), most industry experts believed retail bathroom chain Bathstore would be one. And following the disposal of non-core operations Build Center, Electric Center and Encon it was a matter of “wait and see”. Now all bets are off, as Bathstore has finally been sold by Wolseley to the turnaround investor Endless.

Its new owner has already invested £11million of capital to develop its store estate and drive its e-commerce offer. It certainly seems to be a positive move to spur the future growth of the company. It’s great news for the high streets in Britain and if that isn’t enough to start celebrating and getting the flags flying, I don’t know what is!

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Wolseley sells Bathstore

Following two years of speculation, Building materials giant Wolseley has now sold its retail business Bathstore to a newly-incorporated company backed by Endless LLP, for £15million.

The amount is payable over the next five years, and as part of the transaction Endless LLP has invested £11million of new capital in the business to fund its development.

In the nine months to April 30, 2012, Bathstore had revenue of £66million and had associated assets of £7million at January 31, 2012.

Chief executive of Wolseley, Ian Meakins commented: “The disposal is in line with our strategy of focusing on our core operations. I would like to thank the staff of Bathstore for their commitment to the business and wish them every success for the future.”

In 2010 Wolseley announced its intention to improve or sell 19 core businesses, and although non were mentioned many experts believed Bathstore to be one.

Since that time, many names have been connected to a possible acquisition of the company.

These have included private equity firm Electra, through to trade buyers including the former management team from Marks & Spencer, the former owner of Dolphin Bathrooms Sun Capital Partners, and even its founder Patrick Riley who owns Bathroom Brands.

Bathstore started in Croydon as Simply Bathrooms and sold to Wolseley in 2003 for an undisclosed sum. It built the chain from 33 stores to more than 160.

Bathstore recorded a turnover of £104million and pre-tax profits of £4.5million in the year to July 31, 2009.

For more on this story read the June issue of Kitchens & Bathrooms News by subscribing here.

EDITOR'S COMMENT: Appliance brands under fire

Kitchens & Bathrooms News
Editor Philippa Turrell

The kitchen appliance industry could be placed under close scrutiny. Consumer watchdog Which? is calling on the Government to collect information on house fires, caused by faulty appliances, by brand. While some fire brigades already collate information on makes and models of appliances, it is not a statutory requirement in the UK and is not readily available to the public. Which? wants greater transparency to ‘alert manufacturers to faulty appliance and give consumers greater protection against these appliances’.

No-one would question the importance of safety for kitchen appliances. Of course the information would be useful for manufacturers to stop the issue ever re-occuring. But how could this information be passed to consumers without incurring widespread, national panic?

It is distressing enough when particular models, by particular manufacturers, have been the cause of household fires and worse still injury or death. Although one fire is too many, just how many cases or what percentage of fires would require a witch hunt?

When it was widely reported, last year, that selected Beko frost-free fridge freezers had been the cause of household fires in the capital, the manufacturer was already working with the London Fire Brigade, Trading Standards, had informed retailers and was using social media to contact customers. That’s before it had to increase its customer call centre five-fold to deal with incoming calls, following the publicity.

And herein lies the second issue, when would consumers actually be informed? Would it be on a weekly, monthly, yearly basis? Surely a major problem in providing statistics on appliances that may pose a fire risk lies in the fact they have to first be bought, and then installed, before any potential incident could occur. So in reality, how useful could this information be to consumers? And in fact, would the information be that accurate anyway, when an appliance model cannot be identified because it’s been ravaged by fire?

Consumer safety is of major importance to all kitchen (and bathroom, for that matter) professionals. And I’m sure that no matter where you work in the supply chain, all of you will endeavour to make home design as safe as possible. I just wouldn’t want to see the kitchen appliance industry held up as a scapegoat, with statistics created to provide a shocking headline for the sake of tabloid readers in ‘appalled’ middle England.

Golden rules for sales reps

If there’s one topic that independent kitchen and bathroom retailers tend to agree on it’s the level of service offered by sales reps in the industry. But instead of lambasting them and decrying their lack of professionalism, we’ve decided to lend a hand to the much-maligned rep.

We’ve created a list of handy hints and tips to help them improve their service. And who better to ask then those on the frontline…kitchen and bathroom retailers, themselves! Here’s what they had to say... but please feel free to add your own comments. We will be featuring our top tips for sales reps in Kitchens & Bathrooms News.

Do what you say you are going to do

This sounds simple but is arguably the easiest guideline to overlook. If you say you’re going to call – call. If you say you’ll email the information over – do it. Peter Hill says: “Its rule no 1; and by the way should apply to politicians as well - actually do what you say you are going to do”. It builds a level of trust with kitchen and bathroom retailers and then should an issue arise, the showrooms know you’ll be able to fix it. Don’t become complacent with the relationship

Call in advance

‘I was just in the area and thought I’d pop in’ is a common bugbear of kitchen and bathroom retailers. They are business people too and can be busy with a customer, on the phone sorting out issues, or even out on site. Call first to arrange a meeting and then they’ll be able to spend time with you.

Be prepared

There’s something in that Boy Scout message. ‘I feel just like they are ticking a customer visit box’ is a frequent complaint. So, plan your visit before you go, with information relevant to that particular retailer – rather than plying them with product brochures. Work smarter.

Know your customer

Which neatly brings us onto – how well do you know your customer? What are their business aims and objectives? Who are they trying to appeal to? Which of your products do they have on display? What displays are working for them and more importantly, which aren’t? All of which will help you better tailor your customer visits and make them feel special to your company.

Provide advice

…And if you know your retailer and what they are trying to achieve, you will be better placed to offer advice. If a similar-style showroom in your area, targeting a similar clientele, has found success with a product, promotion, type of display, then share that information. Help independent kitchen and bathroom retailers develop their business. PHS Bathrooms says: “Bring positive marketing ideas to us, so the big companies can direct the customers to the right showrooms quicker and better”.

Be positive

When times are challenging, no showroom wants to hear ‘it’s tough out there’, particularly if they are doing well. PHS Bathrooms says: “Reps like a bit of negativity, especially after a long car drive. Sometimes they forget they get paid commission if we do well”. So as ELO once sang “Don’t bring me down”.

Take ownership

If there is an issue between showroom and manufacturer – take ownership. Don’t get tied up in delivery order numbers Remove the burden from retailers and allow them to continue selling in what is a tough market.

But to balance these views, we also want to hear from manufacturers, sales agents, and reps - so we can compile top tips for retailers..