Kitchens & Bathrooms News supports WorldSkills UK

Publisher of Kitchens & Bathrooms News, Hamerville Media Group has been named official media partner of WorldSkills UK, which is part of the National Apprenticeship Service.  WorldSkills UK showcases the skill level of apprenticeships through competitions, awards and local activities, which can culminate in The Skills Show and National Apprenticeships Week.

The Skills Show is the UK’s largest skills and careers event and takes place at the NEC Birmingham from November 15-19. It showcases national talent, across a variety of subject disciplines and features over 50 competitions, alongside ‘Have a go’ activities. The event will include kitchen and bathroom affiliated trades, showcasing skills in cabinet making, carpentry, plumbing, plus wall and floor tiling.

In addition, there will be national and regional employers, colleges, universities, higher education institutes, sector skills councils, trade and membership associations with exhibition stands.

Around 100,000 visitors are expected to the show, which includes students, young adults and teachers.

There is also a two-day conference programme, as part of the wide events schedule, which brings together sector leaders, young people and businesses. The programme has been devised by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, Business in the Community and The Edge Foundation, showcasing research into technical and vocational education.

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TALKING SHOP: What lies beneath?

Sales director at kitchen and bathroom showroom KSL in Sudbury, Richard Hibbert says what irks him are companies who conceal quote specifications in order to gain the job

At the moment the wave of customers is very up and down and we have, at times, had to lower our margin. But all of the time, we are working harder and harder on each project.The real bug bear I have is trying to give our customers the best possible job within a given budget and are finding other companies are cutting corners and, either not telling their customers, or bending the truth about specifics within a quote.

Not all equal

The other day, I quoted for a £28,000 kitchen with Corian work surfaces, Neff appliances, Liebherr fridge and freezer, along with a large amount of labour. The customer said they had a like-for-like quote at £25,000 from another company. So we went through the quotation and looked at where we may be more expensive, only to find out that we were quoting for a rigid glued and dowelled kitchen against a flat-pack.  That’s fine as a flat pack kitchen can work very well and last a long time too... The only problem was, allegedly, the customer had been told that the other kitchen business would get the units in and make them up with cams and dowels, just like everyone else does! Erm, no. That is not how we are doing it here. The other quote also included entry-level Hotpoint appliances. We had specified the more premium brand Liebherr, as this fitted what the customer wanted.. i.e .soft-close doors and Bio fresh.  Apparently, the customer was told the two brands were like-for-like but Hotpoint was much better value for money. 

Tell customers truth

Now I don’t mind people trying to earn a living, giving more discounts or getting a better deal from suppliers.  What I hate is people being lied to. Work harder to meet your customers’ requirements or be up front with the product you are putting into their house. At the end of the day, our customers’ money is not picked from trees and they do not replace their kitchens or bathrooms every year. So the package you sell this person must not only meet their needs, but be what they are expecting in the first place. 

I have to say that we also come up against very good competition and I speak to great retailers all the time. I just wish that everyone in the industry would think of the customer as a person as well as a customer. Give them the best possible service and experience, leaving them happy as possible at the end.  If you lie you get found out and then no one is happy!

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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.

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From Paris with Love

Assistant editor Britta O’Boyle visited the Ideo Bain exhibition in Paris to find out what was new for the bathroom market

Paris is known for being one of the most beautiful cities in the world. And it is. Lovely buildings and architecture, amazing food, great fashion. What more could you want? Add some lovely bathroom products to the mix and well, enough said. The Ideo Bain exhibition in Paris, which runs every two years, had products on show from a number of manufacturers. We have picked our top four from the event…

Dornbracht had a number of products on display including the Deque brassware range and the Ambiance Tuning Technique, with the addition of the Horizontal Shower application. Deque comes in matt black or chrome and comprises a number of options including a wall-mounted cascade bath spout, single lever basin mixer and three-hole basin mixer. Ambiance Tuning Technique with Horizontal Shower allows the user to shower lying down, with the option of various flow types and is controlled using the central eTool controls located near the user’s head. 

The Kaldewei stand featured a range of products including its Conoflat shower tray, Super Plan Plus shower tray and the Couchage Relax. Conoflat features an enamelled outflow cover which fits seamlessly into the shower tray’s surface, making it flush with the floor. The Super Plan Plus floor-level shower tray features an installed height of 109 mm (including the company’s pop-up fitting KA 125) and is available in 12 different sizes. The Relax Lounger can be used on the company’s bathtubs including the Couchage. Its bearing capacity is 130 kg comes in four sizes: 1700 x 750 mm, 1800 x 800 mm, 1900 x 900 mm and 2000 x 1000 mm.

Grohe showcased a number of products on its stand at the Ideobain exhibition this year. Eurocube brassware, Concetto brassware, Power&Soul shower and Grohtherm F were among the products displayed. Eurocube features cut-out detailing on the lever handles to reduce the perceived volume of each piece, as well as the company’s SilkMove and StarLight technologies. The Power&Soul collection of showers are available with a choice of four spray patterns and in three design styles. They come in three sizes and benefit from Grohe’s AquaDirect spray controller, which enables direct and single-handed switching between the four spray patterns.

Finally, Villeroy & Boch presented its Futurion Flat shower tray. Futurion Flat is manufactured from the company’s Quaryl material, which is said to be warm to touch and easy to clean. The tray is available in ten sizes and three colours, including White Alpin, Star White, Pergamon. Futurion Flat can be specified in two formats and matching shower enclosures are available, including Futurion Walk-In, Squaro Walk-In, Subway Walk-In.

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Grohe UK appoints first female MD

Grohe UK has appointed its first female managing director Maha M. El Kharbotly, who will lead the team to launch UK specific products to market.

Her most recent role was global category director at Grohe’s headquarters in Dusseldorf, where she was responsible for the sales and marketing of showers and thermostats.

During this time, El Kharbotly led the team to increase the category by over 15% in 2010, alone, and was a member of the team that introduced the Grohe five-year innovation portfolio.

Her previous experience includes key positions across the globe, including a brand management role at Whirlpool Corporation America. There she was a member of the global management development portfolio.

Commenting on her appointment, El Kharbotly said: “2012 will see Grohe launch an exciting innovative range of UK geared products to the UK market, including the design-led Grohe Spa collections. My aim is to continue to evolve and cement Grohe’s portfolio of quality, design and technology”.

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BrIT Girl: Ain't no mountain high enough

Assistant editor Britta O’Boyle has signed up to the Three Peak Challenge to do her bit in helping the construction industry

People who know me well would probably say that mountain climbing and I are not a match made in heaven. In fact, we would probably be at opposite ends of cupid’s arrow. But apparently, whether I put it down to a sugar rush from much chocolate or meeting the 4^th European Iron Man champion (a retailer) on a recent trip,  I've decided to climb three mountains in 24-hours (as you do).

I give you permission to laugh; even my mother did when I informed her of my genius idea. Not to mention the man in the camping shop when I told him I wanted pretty hiking boots (it seems these don’t exist). But joking aside, me and my very bright new waterproof jacket (I’m going with a purple theme) and my very beautiful hiking boots have signed up to do the COINS three-peak challenge next month. Yes, I really am going to climb Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon, along with five others from our publishing house (including K&B News ad manager Tom) in an attempt to raise at least 5,000 for the COINS foundation.

We aren’t the first to do this somewhat crazy challenge, and I’m sure we won’t be the last. Although saying that, it may be the first and last time I ever do it! Throughout the past nine years, over 250 companies and 3,000 people have taken part and it is said to be the construction industry's largest fundraising event, raising over £2.3million. The money has been used to build schools, homes and educate individuals in construction skills. This year is the 10th anniversary of the challenge and the COINS Foundation has pledged to donate £100,000 of the funds raised for five years to the first mortgage lending in Sub-Saharan Africa.

While the cause may not be KBB specific, the construction industry does impact our  industry and so I feel the pain it will cause me to climb these mountains will be worth it. NHBC figures showed that the total number of new homes registered remained static in 2011 compared with 2010, with figures declining in the final quarter to 21,152 compared with 27,262 in 2010. So it looks like the industry could do with a bit of help. And the chief executive of the NHBC, Imtiaz Farookhi said: “There is general consensus that the combined efforts of the housing and mortgage industries could have a positive effect on sentiment and volumes.” The more houses built, the more kitchens and bathrooms needed right? Therefore if raising money for climbing a few ‘big hills’ will help at all, then why not?

 Whether I ‘can’ climb these mountains is a totally different story, but I am sure going to try. Please wish me luck (and if you can afford to part with some cash,  please sponsor me too).