BiKBBI news

The BiKBBI would like to acknowledge ten year membership milestones of the installation business listed below. BiKBBI CEO, Damian Walters, says, “We would like to sincerely thank all kbb installation businesses and installers who are BiKBBI members as it demonstrates that they care about the industry as much as we do. I hope they feel that they get a great return on their modest outlay for membership each year. This brings me to the list of twenty odd businesses listed below who have reached a membership milestone of ten years – what an incredible achievement, the entire team at the institute thank them for their unswerving loyalty it is hugely appreciated.” Al's Installations London Home Enhancement Flintshire MJ Interiors Cleveland LSI Interiors Limited Kent John Lewis of Hungerford PLC Oxfordshire On Tap Bathrooms Hampshire NJ Design Solid Surface Limited Lancashire Asterisk Maintenance West Midlands Eclipse Property Maintenance Berkshire SMB Kitchens Cambridgeshire Alan Holden East Sussex Dream Bathrooms Essex Kent Premier Building Services Limited Kent Conexx Services West Sussex M Cookesley East Sussex TDH Installations Cornwall Hancock's Plumbing & Heating Limited Somerset ACG Interiors Limited Devon Chris Morgan Glamorgan NPP Installations Hampshire Essex Property Managing & Developing Ltd Essex Kenny Baldwin Surrey Liberty Fitting Service Limited Tayside

MILESTONES

BiKBBI employees Claire Walters (10 years), Lynsey Easom (5 years), Christine Masson (5 years) all achieved long-service markers with the institute. CEO, Damian Walters said, “All businesses are only as good as the people within it and I am blessed to have just the most fantastically supportive team. I want to personally thank Claire, Lynsey and Christine for their dedication and unswerving loyalty to the institute. It really is a pleasure working with them all, as it is the rest of this brilliant team.”

Lynsey Christine Claire

All businesses are only as good as the people within it and I am blessed to have just the most fantastically supportive team."

NEW APPRENTICESHIP AMBASSADOR APPOINTED

Following the successful launch of the Apprenticeship scheme, to meet ambitious plans to expand the programme nationally, The British Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom & Bathroom Installation has appointment a familiar industry face to head up in Michael Burke. Michael is a highly experienced Retail Installation Manager, education champion and is a perfect fit for this extremely important role. He will be ultimately responsible for the development and national roll out of the Apprenticeship scheme. BiKBBI Education Officer, Stephanie Gray, commented on the appointment, “We are delighted with the progress of our year one Apprenticeship programme and we are now ready to initiate a national roll-out strategy. We see Michael, together with his vast experience within this industry, as being an important ingredient to this the success of this initiative. Michael brings a plethora of experience and importantly, key contacts. We are looking forward to working with him and developing this vitally important programme.” Michael commented, “I have total admiration for what the BiKBBI is achieving in the field of education and I am delighted to have the opportunity to be part of this incredibly important initiative, it’s also fabulous to have an opportunity to work with one or two familiar faces.”

BIKBBI FUNDER FINDER LAUNCHED

Building upon its member financial services and extensive member benefits package, the BiKBBI has announced a new financial services product to help members source financial funding solutions for their business. The BiKBBI Funder Finder provides free and simple access for its members to source financial funding for their businesses, including vehicle & asset financing, cash flow loans, commercial mortgages, invoice finance, pension-led funds, term loans and trade finance. The service allows members to search for finance from multiple UK providers for the best matched products, without impacting credit ratings. The innovative product, delivered by Funder Finder Limited, which is an appointed representative of Clifton Compliance Services Limited (FCA no. 480676) and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, will connect members with leading lenders within minutes via the online fund engine. The engine powers Alternative Business Funding who have been approved as a designated platform by HM Treasury and the British Business Bank. Anthony Carty, Funder Finder Business Development Director said ‘We are excited to be partnering with BiKBBI. This is an important collaboration for both BiKBBI & Funder Finder to make access to finance easier and more transparent for an essential part of the UK economy.’ BiKBBI’s Communications Manager Nicole Mercer (pictured) added: “Many businesses will require some form of funding to drive commercial development. BiKBBI’s Funder Finder is a robust, simple and safe option for our members and another addition to our growing portfolio of member benefits”.

Visit the BiKBBI Funder Finder engine: www.bikbbi.org.uk/funding

PRIDE OF SCOTLAND- LIBERTY FITTING SERVICES SCOOPS TOP GONG!

Liberty Fitting Services Limited was unveiled as Installer of the Year 2018 at the prestigious ek&bbusiness Awards & Review ceremony in Central London. The Scottish based company kitchen, bedroom and bathroom installation specialist was awarded the coveted title as the industry celebrated successes and reviewed its progress through 2018. The award was collected by Company Directors Mark Conacher and Thomas McAuley, who expressed their delight at winning the award by saying: “It’s an honour to be recognised for our hard work and we cannot thank the industry enough for this accolade.” BiKBBI CEO Damian Walters addressed the sell-out audience by saying, “Whilst installations is far from the glamorous end of the industry, it is a vital part of the customer journey and one that is often undervalued, so It gives me great pleasure to be part of an industry awards that recognises the contribution that our installation colleagues deliver.” Damian added, Liberty Fitting Services are a shining example of professionalism, both on the tools and off. We operate in an environment whereby consumers both shop and review digitally and it’s clear that the Liberty team both understands and values its digital presence. This is a great installation business, an asset to Scotland and indeed The British Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom & Bathroom Installation – Congratulations”. Liberty Fitting Services has been a member of the BiKBBI since 2009 and more information on the company and its personalities appear later in the magazine when they take centre stage in our regular ‘Installer Profile’ feature. Final word goes to Damian Walters, who summarised, “I would like to congratulate all the ‘Installer of the Year’ finalists for their professionalism and contribution to our industry. Clearly the award can only go to one business, but the reality is, they all deserve recognition for being top of their game. Well done to you all”.

VISITS TO BIKBBI FIND A MEMBER WEBSITE ROCKET!

For any installers out there questioning the validity of being a BiKBBI member then just one of the institute’s member benefits alone will convince them of membership worthiness. I’m talking about the BiKBBI ‘Find a member’ facility on the institute’s website. Visits to our Find a Member site have significantly risen from an average of 1,500 visitors per month in 2017, to a whopping average of 2,500 per day! The vast majority of these enquiries will be from consumers looking to source an installer to fit a kitchen, bedroom or bathroom and so BiKBBI membership can mean a flow of new business leads being provided. “The amount of visits to the ‘Find a member’ site has grown beyond expectation and is a true marker of how awareness and trust of the organisation has grown.” States Nicole Mercer, Communications Manager at the BiKBBI, “It’s a tangible benefit to our members as they only have to secure one installation and the cost of membership pays for itself over and over again.”

CARING MOORES DONATES A NEW KITCHEN

Moores is delighted to have been given the opportunity to provide a brand-new kitchen to the not-for-profit support organisation Carmel Care in Sheffield. Moores collaborated with Places for People to install the new kitchen, giving it a new lease of life for members to enjoy refreshments and meals after its original kitchen was in need of repair. In celebration of the newly installed kitchen, Carmel Care planned a luncheon that was well attended by local patrons, volunteers and service users all of whom were delighted with the new kitchen. Bishop Ralph, Bishop of Hallam Dioceses was in attendance to support the recent renovation project. Members of the lunch were delighted with the new space and one commented “Having the new kitchen will enable the centre to cater for more members of the community and has made our meeting place a nicer brighter place to come.” David Lambert, Moores Business Development Manager for the North West says “We were delighted to assist with this project by supplying one of our kitchens free of charge. The kitchen is now complete and can again be used as a central hub for members of the community. There has been lots of great feedback and we look forward to hearing about the great work Carmel Care get up to in the near future.”

ASBESTOS REFRESHER COURSE NOW AVAILABLE

The BiKBBI has announced that a new Asbestos Awareness Refresher Course is now live and ready for members to use. However, it’s EXTREMELY IMPORTANT for members to understand that the refresher course is ONLY AVAILABLE TO THOSE WHO HAVE ALREADY COMPLETED THE ‘CCUK’ FULL ASBESTOS AWARENESS COURSE. For those who have, the refresher course is available immediately but for those who haven’t previously used the CCUK Asbestos Awareness Course (Full), they will need to do this first, then the next time they need to submit a certificate, it can be the refresher. High priority should be given to keeping up with asbestos related matters as it still a major killer in the UK. In a report published in October 2018 by HSE government, there are currently over 5,000 asbestosrelated disease deaths per year currently in the UK, including mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis. So having a refresher is extremely important. Click on the ‘Start the course’ button under ‘Refresher’, • You will notice that there are plenty of warnings confirming the fact that you need to have already completed the CCUK full asbestos awareness course.

For those interested, please visit here.