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INDUSTRY NEWS BY KBBDAILY.COM
VICTORIA PLUM BECOMES A BiKBBI PARTNER
Victoria Plum has become the latest BiKBBI Retail Installation Standards Partner, following the launch of its national bathroom design and installation service. As a result of the partnership, Victoria Plum will provide its customers with the option for an end-to-end experience including a free design, home surveying and the connection to professional installers, all of whom have been independently accredited by The British Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom & Bathroom Installation (BiKBBI).
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The company also joins a growing number of specialist retailers as a result of the partnership. These collaborate with the institute on subject of standards, compliance and education.
Speaking on behalf of Victoria Plum, Liz Lakin (pictured) Head of Installations said “We’ve been working on building our network of specialist bathroom installers nationally and we’re delighted to be working with BiKBBI. Compliance plays a huge role in the delivery of home improvement services, so our partnership with the institute will give confidence to our customers and help us to both manage installer documentation in accordance with legislation, as well as connect with their members as we grow.” BiKBBI CEO Damian Walters added: "We’ve a lot of experience working with Liz over the years. She has a proven track record of success within the delivery of domestic installations on behalf of retailers and I look forward to working with her and The Victoria Plum team on what is a very exciting project."
ROMAN TO RESUME PRODUCTION
British shower manufacturer is to reopen its County Durham factory in response to predicted demand
Around a quarter of the firm’s more than 200 UK employees will return to work at its plant in Newton Aycliffe, Country Durham.
Roman’s managing director David Osbourne was interviewed for BBC News at Ten, discussing the firm’s plans to reopen its doors, as part of a wider segment on impact of the lockdown on the nation’s businesses.
“We’re sort of envisioning pentup demand,” Osborne told BBC business correspondent Katie Prescott. “We’ll see hopefully quite a busy May, June… and we’ll see where it settles from there.”
He added: “I don’t know what normality is going to be, whether it’s going to be October, November before we have a normal month.”
The announcement comes as two of the country’s largest homebuilding companies, Persimmon and Vistry, reopen sites with new social distancing guidelines in place.
KBBG RELEASES ADVICE FOR INDEPENDENT KBB SPECIALISTS WORKING FROM HOME
“There are positive things you can do from home to keep your business in front of customers” says Bill Miller, MD influential European kitchen and bathroom buying group KBBG, has released a statement of advice for independent kitchen and bathroom specialists who are working from home as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.
The advice is aimed at independent kbb specialists for whom working from home is not a straightforward task, and covers topics such as social media, video communication and training.
AMTICO USES FACTORY TO HELP PRODUCE THOUSANDS OF NHS FACE MASKS
Coventry-based flooring firm Amtico has transformed its manufacturing facilities to produce up to 20,000 parts a day for life-saving face shields used by frontline NHS and critical key workers in the battle against COVID-19.
Better known for is luxury vinyl tile (LVT) flooring, the company has adapted the materials and machinery used in its production to create parts for essential PPE for use throughout the UK. This comes as the result of joining forces with schools from around the country, who were working on producing face shields using 3D printing before assembling and distributing them nationwide. As the headband is the most complex and time-consuming component of a protective face shield, Amtico stepped in to help improve the efficiency and speed of production. The company assembled a dedicated team of technical, CAD and cutting specialists and, within a few hours, modified the design of the headband to ensure it was more secure and structurally sound, as well as faster and more efficient to assemble, with less wastage. Amtico also created a new composition of its flooring material specifically for the headstraps, ensuring the best balance between flexibility and rigidity, with the ultimate aim of making them as comfortable and practical as possible for frontline NHS staff and critical key workers. The company has already produced 4,500 of the headbands to date, with capacity to produce up to 20,000 per day, and furthermore is now listed on the Government’s official PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) procurement service. The final samples were taken to Watford General Hospital on Thursday 9th April 2020, where the design was approved and 2,000 units ordered. These were then produced by Amtico, free of charge, within seven hours of NHS approval. A further 12,000 parts have been ordered to create face shields for many hospitals throughout North and West London.
German kitchen manufacturer Rotpunkt, has announced that it is supporting its UK retail network by offering free online training sessions twice-a-week. The online seminars, which will take place every Wednesday and Friday at 10am and 2pm, will last approximately 30 minutes, and Rotpunkt clients will get a chance to raise any questions they have related to the brand. “We’re committed to making the best of a bad situation, which is why we have new remote training sessions to maintain brand focus, update suppliers on our current products and services and help our supply chain “add-value” to their knowledge and expertise.” Rotpunkt has an extensive product portfolio with many new kitchen solutions for 2020 now available for the UK retailer. The newly introduced online-training sessions will ensure that the company is regularly communicating with its customers so they in turn, can create new dialogue with theirs. All existing Rotpunkt customers will be sent a personal e-vite to join the online-training sessions and be provided with a session ID and password for private access.
HOMEBASE TO REOPEN ACROSS BRITAIN
Homebase has announced that it will reopen 50 additional stores across the UK, following a successful trial period in 20 of its branches.
CEO Dan McGloughlin explained that certain stores will be reopened for customers to browse and shop, but strict controls have been put in place to ensure shopping is safe for everyone. In March, Homebase was classified as an essential retailer by the Government, but senior leaders of the company decided that it would operate online only in a move to protect both its customers and teams.
The reopening follows an announcement from DIY retailer B&Q, which stated that it will reopen 155 of its stores following a successful trial period at 14 shops. Home improvement retailer Wickes also announced that it will reopen six stores as part of a trial run, with strict new social distancing measures in place designed to protect colleagues and customers. McGloughlin commented ‘It has taken a tremendous amount of hard work and commitment from our teams across all parts of the business, to ensure we are ready to safely welcome customers back through our doors.’
‘I’m extremely grateful for the dedication shown by every single team member, and to our customers, for the huge support and understanding’ he added.
