Stephen Johnson: “Some kitchen retailers can be a fickle breed”

Managing director of Quooker UK, Stephen Johnson has shown his frustration with kitchen retailers who don’t show manufacturer loyalty, lashing out: “Unfortunately, some kitchen retailers can be a fickle breed. They are very quick to say they want more support and service. But when they do get that, they don’t always recognise and reward it.”

Johnson explained: "What I mean by that, there may be a supplier who comes out with a new tap and it'll go into a showroom, where you've offered them a free display, five years of service and thousands of pounds in support."

He said he had a display given free to a showroom, whom he long-standing relationship with, taken out and replaced with a competitors. He said he hadn't been told the showroom had removed it, until he paid a visit.

"Providing we continue to offer a service and ensure the product is at the cutting edge of where it needs to be, and invest in that dealer, they should recognise and reward you with a significant level of their business", says Johnson

He continued: “We’re here to work hard for our dealers but what I don’t think is that some of them give you that loyalty back. They want the service from us and the quid pro quo is we want the business from them.”

Johnson added: "A number of kitchen dealers are obsessed with everything. I think some of them are guilty of stocking too much product."

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Electrolux names Aeroball as future appliance winner

Electrolux named the winner of its 10^th annual Design Lab 2012, a competition for household appliances of the future, as Aeroball by Jan Ankiersztajn from Poland.

Aeroball is a collection of luminescent, hovering balls that can filter and fragrance the air in the room and fall to the ground when they are ready to be changed.
This year's competition remit was to create concept household appliances that stimulate, engage and enlighten senses.
Design director at Electrolux, and head of the jury, Thomas Johansson explained: “We rely on our senses for almost everything, so considering the senses is an important factor when designing appliances.”

He continued: “This year’s winning concept, Aeroball is a truly innovative concept that uses space in a unique way and delights our surroundings. It also changes our perception of an air cleaner because it is delicate in aesthetics; it is emotional and also relevant, because it addresses the consumer’s needs.”

The second prize in the competition went to Ben de la Roche from New Zealand for his refrigerated wall, Impress, with bottles and containers placed directly in the wall. The third prize was presented to Christopher Holm-Hansen, from Denmark, for Tastee. It is a spoon has utilises receptors based on the human tastes buds to tell the chef what ingredients are needs to improve the dish.

These three prize winners were chosen from 10 global finalists. The UK had three entries in the Electrolux Design Lab competition, which qualified for this year’s semi-finals.

Jan Ankiersztajn from Poland follows last year’s winner, Adrian Mankovecky from Slovenia for his portable spot cleaner. Like, Mankovecky, he wins €5,000 Euros and a six-month paid internship at an Electrolux global design centre.

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tc bathrooms ceases trading

Following tc bathrooms adminstration, the company has held a sale of its entire stock, at its warehouse in Dewsbury, and now ceased to trade.

The stock was acquired by bathstore.com and although the figure has not yet been finalised, it will be included in the proposals to creditors by December 18, 2012.

Joint administrator Hunter Kelly said: “We received some expressions of interest in various parts of the business from a number of parties. No offers were made that included both the trade and retail operations of the business.

“Following the sale of stock – one of the Company’s most significant assets – the business has ceased to trade and is in the process of being wound. As a result, it has been necessary to make a further 68 redundancies. The remaining staff are being retained to assist us in winding down the business.”

The administrator is still seeking a buyer for the 205,000 warehouse in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.

It is still unknown how much money the companies owes or the number of creditors.

tc bathrooms was a distributor and retailer of bathroom equipment and furnishings and operated 17 retail showrooms across the country. It employed 187 people, including 47 in showrooms across the country.

The administrator cited the economic downturn, contraction of new housing and refurbishment markets, as well as it being unable to service its debt which had funded a ‘recent consideration expansion’.

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DIY giants voted worst on-line shops

DIY giants Homebase and B&Q, with its diy.com website, have been voted among the worst online shops, as voted by their customers.

According to the annual Which? survey of the best and worst online retailers, the consumer champion asked 14,353 of its members to rate sellers based on customer satisfaction.

Homebase and B&Q were in the bottom five online retailers, along with interiors website Achica.com.

However, the home industry was buoyed by johnlewis.com rated second and Lakeland.co.uk rated fourth.

According to the survey, customers chose to shop online because it’s cheaper, easier to compare prices between shops and easier to find items. However, the shoppers also found delays with deliveries, faulty items and poor availability were the most common problems.

Which? executive director, Richard Lloyd said: “With household budgets squeezed, it’s not surprise that many more consumers are going more of their shopping online, with seven out of ten people saying they shop online for cheaper prices.

“But it’s clear some online retailers need to raise their game, with people complaining of delays with deliveries, faulty items and poor stock availability. Although we’ve found many are providing excellent customer service, we want to see the rest not only meeting the minimum fair trading rules but catching up with the best.”

The research follows an Office of Fair trading (OFT) investigation into retailers who are failing to meet online trading regulations. The OFT has written to 62 retailers after a check of 156 websites found problems including unreasonable restrictions on refunds, inadequate contact details and unexpected charges at the checkout.

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Neff awards top MasterPartner dealers

Appliance brand Neff presented its annual MasterPartner awards to its leading kitchen showrooms at a lunchtime event held at The Hurlingham Club in Fulham London.

Nine awards were presented at the ceremony, which this year was hosted by sports presenter John Inverdale. The winners also collected a prize hamper, courtesy of Neff, worth £500.

The best window display was awarded to Vanessa Sharp from James James Kitchens in West Kirby and the best MasterPartner showroom was presented to Nathan Hopper from Simply Kitchens in Plymouth. The best use of advertising and marketing was scooped, this year, by Mark Gilligan from Kitchen Design Centre in Uxbridge.

In addition, the best kitchen design using Neff (up to the value of £20,000) was presented to Steve Dempsey from Ebstone Kitchens in Uxbridge, and Best Kitchen design using Neff (over £20,000) was won by Development Direct in Edinburgh.

Completing the line-up of retail award winners, Gary Martin from Distinctive Kitchens in Prescot was awarded Best Newcomer and the anniversary award was presented to Chris Byle and Penny Tyon from Byles of Hyde in Cheshire. But the top honour of the event went to Simon Street of Sylvarna Kitchen Design in Chichester, who was acclaimed Supreme MasterPartner.

Finally, the MasterPartner Area Business Manager Award, which was nominated by Neff’s dealers, was given to Ian Adams.  

Simon Street, managing director of Sylvarna Kitchen Design which won Supreme MasterPartner said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the title of Neff Supreme MasterPartner after a relationship built with Neff over 30 years of business together. We are proud to offer the highest level of service and product knowledge to our customers and are committed to support the Neff product range by showcasing it in our award-winning kitchen showroom, demonstrated by our experienced designers. Receiving this award is the ultimate recognition of our hard work.”

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Ebac to open washing machine plant in UK

A washing machine factory set to be opened in the North East of England, by the Ebac Group, will create more than 200 jobs. The County Durham company is to develop the products in a £7million venture, made possible by £1million from the Regional Growth Fund.

Ebac currently employs 200 people and manufactures watercoolers, dehumidifiers and air coolers. With the development of the washing machine factory, it will double the company's workforce.

According to the firm, 4 million washing machines are brought into the UK, and Ebac believes it can replace those exports with appliances made in the UK.

Managing director of the Ebac Group, Pamela Petty said: “This exciting venture is a huge boost to manufacturing in the North East of England, because it opens up a new market for us, creating jobs and making County Durham home to the UK’s only washing machine manufacturing facility.

“We have spent months exploring not only the feasibility of manufacturing washing machines, but also the processes involved and we are very confident of having a high quality, competitive product on the market within the next two years. The money from the Regional Growth Fund makes all of this possible and will quickly reap returns for the economy.

“It’s good for Ebac, it’s good for the North East and it’s good for the country.

Ebac chairman John Elliott added: “During my 50 years in manufacturing, the trend has been for jobs to be lost in the North East. It is great to have this chance to bring sustainable jobs for County Durham people.

“If we are to resolve the UK’s economic problems, we need to start making things again and support for project, such as this, is a huge step in the right direction.”

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TALKING SHOP: Builder versus kitchen designer

Proprietor of Modern Homes in Leamington Spa, Tina Riley asks why is there a continuing battle between the builder and the kitchen designer?

I have often wondered why and how there is so often a battle of wills between a builder and a designer, when ultimately it should be a case of the client is king. We should be working together to come up with the best solution for our customers.

Now don’t get me wrong, we deal with some fabulous builders with whom we have built up great relationships over the years. They get us involved at the earliest opportunity, from the architect plans. It gives us plenty of time to work with the client and builder together, as opposed to the builder or client who calls us in when walls are plastered, services fitted and all electrical supplies are in the wrong place.

Let us design

Our good builders take advantage of both our expertise and our showroom. They often come and introduce their clients and then let us take over. We find that this can be a benefit to all parties. The builder can get on with what he does best – building – and we can get on with what we do best - designing. And the client gets the best of both worlds!

We, kitchen designers, often have to be extremely flexible to meet our clients’ expectations, so my heart sinks when the client tells me the builder has designed her kitchen. It’s not that I am questioning his ability as a skilled craftsman but kitchen design is a very different discipline to a house building project. We only just manage to keep up-to-date with current trends, new appliances and new furniture units, by working on kitchens every day, so I really don’t expect a builder to be as up-to-date as we are.

Better working together

Then there is the matter of actually working together with some builders, some of whom still seem to have an aversion to dealing with women. Possibly they think we should be washing-up in the kitchen not designing it! So, imagine my surprise on a recent technical survey, to discover a boiler, Megaflow, and heating manifold in the kitchen. This had been discussed and was all going to be in the basement but the plumber decided it would be easier to put it in the kitchen, then neglected to mention it. He uttered my favourite phrase of all time ever “can’t you just cobble the units around them, love!”

Not least, there’s the small matter of when the kitchen should actually be fitted. It doesn’t seem to matter how often I state it should be one of the last jobs. I have been on site to see plasterers working around a high gloss kitchen, electricians standing on brand new worktops and loads of rubbish all over the new off-white porcelain tiled floor!

So my plea to all builders and property developers who may be reading this, please let’s work together. I wouldn’t dream of being able to do your job, so please don’t think that you can do mine!

Are builders your bugbear when designing kitchens, or bathrooms, for that matter. Email the editor Philippa Turrell with your view.

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“We are the champions”

At the recent Bathroom Manufacturers Association (BMA) gala dinner, held at Heythorp Park Crown Plaza in Oxfordshire, Kitchens & Bathrooms News scooped Trade Magazine of the Year.

It was presented at the Diamond Jubilee-themed event to editor Philippa Turrell and assistant editor Britta O’Boyle by BMA Chairman Steve Lee and an impersonator of the Queen.

In addition, there were presentations to Trade Journalist of the Year, Consumer Journalist of the Year, Consumer Magazine of the Year and Exhibition of the Year – won by kbbBirmingham.

Keeping to the Jubilee theme, guests were entertained after dinner by a Queen tribute band

The Diamond Gala dinner was the finale to the Bathroom Manufacturers Association annual Conference, which was focused on the Retail Revolution.

The conference spanned topics such as embracing the internet, social media, and finding new routes to market. It boasted keynote speaker Peter Cross, managing partner of Mary Portas, at Yellowdoor.

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EDITOR’S COMMENT: Distributor disarray

Kitchens & Bathrooms News Editor,
Philippa Turrell

Just what is happening to the distribution business? First AWA Bathrooms announced its intention to stop trading from December 2012 and now tc bathrooms has gone into administration. We all know the market is tough out there – but that tough? And is it the only plausible reason for distribution companies to be suffering? While we all know the economic climate is far from easy, has it just continued to exacerbate issues already taking hold in the distribution sector?

Of course, distributors could be more open to economic pressures than any other business, with spiralling petrol costs causing logistics to soar. But, equally, perhaps a clue could also lie in a comment made by joint administrator of tc bathrooms, Hunter Kelly from Ernst & Young, which, in addition to the economic climate, stated tc bathrooms had “been unable to service the debt taken on to fund its recent consideration expansion”. So, are in fact, distributors in danger of trying to extend their business just too far?

AWA Bathrooms was a regional distribution outfit, servicing the South, before going national and opening (then subsequently closing) a Northern depot in Manchester. And in a recent interview on kandbnews.blogspot.com, chairman of Swift Electrical says distributors now offer too many brands. It points to distributors seeking to become generalists, rather than specialists, in order to gain a larger slice of a smaller, and (some may say) diminishing, pie.

And, then, there are retailers looking to enter the distribution market by sourcing their own goods from overseas, in a bid to gain a USP and to prevent customers from ‘like-for-like’ shopping around. The demarcation lines of ‘who does exactly what and where’ in the bathroom and kitchen industry have become increasingly blurred, if not completely removed.

So what are the answers for bathroom and kitchen distributors, which are not only in competition with businesses in their own channel, but perhaps now even selective retail showrooms? Well, that’s the $1million question.  Could it simply lie within the old adage “turnover for vanity, profit for sanity”? Undoubtedly (as in the case of tc bathrooms), a catalogue of issues can drive a business into administration. But with news that parties are already interested in buying tc bathrooms, let’s just hope that this distributor can be saved and show it’s not game over for this sector.

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tc bathrooms in administration

Despite slamming industry speculation about tc bathrooms going into adminstration, it has since been confirmed. Headquartered in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, tc bathrooms is a distributor and retailer, owning 17 retail showrooms.
The retail showrooms included 16 which operate under the trade name bathrooms4all and one which is branded Victorian Bathrooms.
The company which employed 187 staff, including 47 in stores across the country, has made 87 redundancies. It has also closed eight of its bathroom retail showrooms.
At the current time, it is unknown how much money the company owes or the number of creditors.
Ernst & Young in Leeds has been appointed, with joint adminstator Hunter Kelly, who said: "The company's trading performance has been impacted by the economic downturn and the contraction of the new housing and refurbishment markets. In addition, whilst the business remains profitable, it has been unable to service the debt taken on to fund its recent considerable expansion.
"The business owns a 205,000 sq ft modern warehouse in Dewsbury and has also opened a number of retail stores over the last two years."
Kelly continued: "We have receieved some expressions of interest in various parts of the business from a number of parties, which will be explored further over the next few days. The business is continuing to trade whilst we explore the interest."
Managing director of tc bathrooms Martin Chalcraft recently said competitors started sthe rumour of the company's demise, which was buoyed by stock shortages. He stated: "Let me be clear. This business is doing fine. We're not going into adminstration."
tc bathrooms was established in 2000 and offers a wide variety of bathroom products from cast iron baths to steam cabins, furniture through to taps.

Custtomers with product order queries should contact Tel:0113 298 2317 Email: bathrooms4alluk.ey.com
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Chalon rebuffs administration rumour

Handmade kitchen furniture manufacturer and retailer Chalon is not in administration and rebuffed claims of financial difficulty.

Slamming any speculation, marketing manager of Chalon Barney Bell said: “It’s not true. We are not in administration. We are operating and training through our showrooms as per normal.”

The company, which has its headquarters and showroom in Somerset, is sold through a network of five additional Chalon retailers. These include showrooms in King's Road in London, St Albans, Harrogate, Tunbridge Wells and most recently Knutsford. Chalon also sells its kitchens through an agent in Dublin and to the developer market.

According to its website, Chalon is also looking to expand its business with trade partners across the globe.
Chalon was founded in 1981 by Michael and Rose Chalon, who designed furniture to emulate the eighteenth and nineteenth century, with a painted finish.

The company recently sponsored a show garden, teaming up with RHS medal award-winning Carolyn Hardern, at the RHS Tatton Park Flower Show

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Foundation degree in Kitchen Design opens 2013

Head of National School of Furniture,
Dr Jones

Buckingham New University is set to introduce a Foundation Degree (Arts) in Kitchen Design, in September 2013, which will be the first of its kind. Head of the course, Dr Lynn Jones said: “It is an exciting leap forward” for kitchen design in the UK and believes it will add academic credence to the profession.

Head of the National School of Furniture (NSF), based at Buckingham New University, Dr Jones hopes the course will contribute to establishing the UK as the world hub for kitchen design.

The course is a two-year full-time or three-year part-time qualification, where each of the 12 study modules has been developed with industry partners, including kitchen designer Johnny Grey of Johnny Grey Studios. He will also sit on the advisory board at the NSF.

The course, which has taken two years to develop, will cover dealing with customers and suppliers to designing and managing kitchen projects, as well as computer-aided design. In addition, it will include business and finance, materials and technology.”

Dr Jones said: “The course will build on the many excellent apprenticeships in the UK, such as the Kitchens Bedrooms Bathrooms Training Group courses, run by the well-respected Renee Mascari, and will allow students the chance to gain further qualifications, and perhaps move on to degree programmes in furniture at Bucks New University or elsewhere.

“We have listened to what our industry partners and contacts have said and come up with a foundation degree programme that meets the needs of what they are looking for.”

Dr Jones continues: “Visits and live briefs from industry partners will be a key aspect and this course will also offer students the chance to work in industry and spend as much time learning outside the classroom as inside it.

“Now we want to build momentum, attract the students, and make a significant contribution to UK kitchen design.”

Among its industry supporters is Hettich UK, where students will work with them on live briefs. Managing director of Hettich UK, Tim Leedham commented: “The kitchen industry is both big and diverse. There are over 2,000 manufacturers of varying sizes and over 5,000 retailers. Nearly one million kitchens are sold in the UK every year and the industry is therefore a large employer and important to the UK economy.”

Applicants should hold a Level 3 qualification in kitchen fitting, furniture manufacture, design or similar qualifications. Mature students with relevant experience, but no formal qualifications, can also apply and applicants from industry can combine the part-time mode with employment.

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Barratt Homes appoints BK Nolte Contracts preferred supplier

BK Nolte Contracts has been appointed as preferred kitchen furniture supplier to Barratt Homes across the UK. It will see the company provide the product and a project management service on sites, nationally.

Bob Ruler, joint managing director of BK Nolte Contracts, commented: “As a supplier of kitchens to Barratt’s special projects, mainly in the London area, we are very pleased to be on Barratt’s national preferred supplier list. Hopefully, this will give us a chance to quote for more business with other Barratt regions in the future.”

He added: “We feel that we have been selected by Barratt Homes as we supply the full package; a branded German product, in-house design, full logistic support to deliver to plots as and when required, and flexible on-site management.”

BK Nolte Contracts has been involved with 30 Barratt Home projects and works with national housebuilders in London.

Part of the Barratt Group, which includes David Wilson and Ward Home brands, Barratt Homes has been awarded a 5 Star Housebuilder Award and named Housebuilder of the Year by the Home Builders Federation.

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EXHIBITION REVIEW: Cersaie will always love you

Laufen Palomba 2012 collection

If the ISH exhibition, in Germany, is the barometer of bathroom fashions for the UK high street, then the Italian show Cersaie is most definitely haute couture. While this bathroom catwalk showcases future interior design cues, these are cleverly combined with concepts destined never to be more than a drawing board project – showcasing manufacturing expertise and designed to gain visitor interest. The show spanned offerings from the chunky Azzurro or light blue pedestal basins and gargantuan filo pastry-esque overshower bath from Ceramica Flaminia, through to Laufen’s latest collaboration with Palomba with a freestanding basin and bath, plus super-slim profile furniture. And while Hansgrohe showed its recently launched Axor Starck Organic bathroom collection, Dornbracht displayed its horizontal and vertical shower. It all added up to an eclectic, design-conscious show, (well what else would you expect from Italy?), which not only captivated its visitors but created a circus of excitement around bathroom design.





However, the one challenge that the inexperienced visitor could face, is  which products will truly be the future influencers of fashion. Not to mention, which products will actually leave the Italian coast and be destined and available on UK soil.

We've simplified our show review and selected a handful of products that will be available to designers in the UK. So, why not take your choice from our November issue?

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