INDUSTRY NEWS BY KBBREVIEW

Industry News

supplied by Bigger venue for kbbreview Retail & Design Awards as demand for seats soars

The kbbreview Retail & Design Awards has a brand new venue thanks to an overwhelming industry demand for seats and tables.

The event, which will still take place on September 15, will now be held in the spectacular and iconic Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, one of the UK’s most recognisable landmarks.

The previous venue sold out within hours of the event being announced and in the weeks that followed the waiting list grew and grew.

“When we finally decided to move the date to September and hold the full real, live awards event, we had no idea what the response of the industry would be,” said kbbreview managing editor Andrew Davies.

“The cathedral was our first choice, as it is just such an astonishing place, but it holds a LOT of people. So we erred on the side of caution and went for the smaller venue. But after we announced it, it became very clear, very quickly, that we should have gone with Plan A!” The new venue opens up the opportunity for more people to book seats and tables who may have been disappointed when the previous location sold out so quickly.

“This is the biggest postlockdown industry party and now it’s got even bigger,” Davies said. “We want to see as many people there as possible celebrating the creativity and ingenuity that got us all through the lockdowns. But, even though out capacity is bigger, it’s not unlimited, so get in quick to make sure you don’t miss out again!”

The kbbreview Retail & Design Awards is the biggest and longest-running awards event in the UK kitchen and bathroom industry. You can find out more about how the awards, judging, finalists and previous winners at www.kbbreview.com/awards

BC Designs expands to meet surge in demand

Colchester-based bath manufacturer, BC Designs, has expanded its operation with the introduction of a new 75sq m workshop in a bid to meet growing demand from its retail network.

In a statement, the company said that the new workshop would allow the company to increase stock levels by up to 35%. In addition, a new paint facility has also been added to allow it to improve lead times on its painting service.

Speaking about the brand’s key expansion managing director, Darren Allison, said: “The pandemic has provided the opportunity for us to re-access and refocus our business strategy and we’ve renewed our focus on delivering the highest quality customer service.

“The new workshop will allow us to shorten lead times across our product portfolio as we are able to hold more stock. We’ve also seen an increase in demand for our painting service as colour continues to be a key driver within bathroom trends. Our new facility will increase our output by over 30%. another great milestone in BC Designs’ history. The whole team is excited about the post-Covid 19 chapter as we look to continue our growth through developing even deeper relationships with our customers, along with exciting product launches that are planned later this year.”

Quooker ramps up support for kbbreview Save Our Skills campaign

Quooker has shown its commitment to supporting the industry by extending its sponsorship of the kbbreview Save Our Skills Campaign until the end of September.

The kbbreview Save Our Skills campaign is once again allowing any employer in the KBB industry to post job vacancies on kbbreview.com for free. Thanks to the ongoing support from Quooker, the initiative will continue for at least the next four months.

“I’m delighted that Quooker has committed to supporting this important initiative again so that we can continue to offer the industry free job ads,” said kbbreview managing editor Andrew Davies. “To see so many businesses recruiting again after the challenges of the last year is fantastic and we want to play our part in spreading such a positive message.”

The kbbreview Save Our Skills campaign was launched in spring 2020 as the coronavirus situation began to lead to many redundancies within the KBB sector. The aim was to keep the skills and experience these people possess within the industry if possible. It has been supported by Quooker from the beginning.

The move in emphasis of the campaign coincides with a noticeable drop in the number of redundancies hitting the industry and a sudden rise in vacancies being advertised.

BiKBBI sets sights on USA

The British Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom & Bathroom Installation (BIKBBI) has revealed plans to strengthen its ties to the US in 2022.

BiKBBI CEO Damian Walters told kbbreview that further collaboration between the BIKBBI and America’s National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA), “gives us an opportunity to learn from shared challenges like compliance and the skills gap”.

The organisation’s plans for expansion in the US could, Walters added, “help strengthen ties at a critical time, as trade with the US market is vital in a post-Brexit Britain”.

The BiKBBI has been involved with the NKBA’s Global Connect Conference and Alliance program.

Full details of its plans for expansion into the US will be announced at the BiKBBI’s Annual Conference and Awards in February 2022. The conference will be held in the Parliamentary office at Portcullis House, followed by a formal reception and awards ceremony will be at The Houses of Parliament later that afternoon.

During the conference, the institute will also reveal plans for the acceleration of its Apprenticeship programme, which has been a focus to help plug the skills gap in the UK.

Joined by the institute’s patron

Stephen Metcalfe, MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock, the event will be attended by over 150 VIP delegates, which is double capacity of last year’s conference due to the BiKBBI’s recent growth.

Walters said: “2021/22 marks our 15th Anniversary – a remarkable milestone and another proud moment for me and the organisation. We are privileged to be in a position to hold our event at such a venue once again and I’m already looking forward to hosting what will be a remarkable occasion for our industry.”

“After what has been a challenging time for us all, this special event will mix the formalities of Conference, with some muchneeded celebration. We have achieved so much over the last year, not by luck, but by sheer determination, focus and the support of our key stakeholders. It’s our opportunity to share plans with this group, celebrate some phenomenal achievements and thank those who have made it possible. This will be an event to remember.”

The BiKBBI is offering unique sponsorship opportunities for its 2022 Awards & Conference –details of which can be obtained from erin.sealy@bikbbi.org.uk

supplied by Howdens sales bounce back after lockdown

Howdens Joinery Group saw UK revenues climb by almost a half (47.1%) in its first 16 weeks trading in 2021.

For those 16 weeks to April 17,the group’s latest trading update reported overall sales up by 47.1%, and by 46.1% on a samedepot basis, which excludes any new depots opened during that period. This was compared with equivalent periods in 2020 when, Howdens said, business was impacted in Q4 by the Covid-19 lockdown measures.

In addition to its 751 depots in the UK, Howdens also operates 30 depots in France and Belgium. It saw revenues in its European operations during these 16 weeks more than double, with a 108% increase compared with the same period last year – 105.9% on a same-depot basis. Compared with 2019, revenue was up by 37% (19.7% on a same-depot basis).

The Howdens Joinery board said it was confident that the group remained on target for its plans this year.

The group also plans to open 35 new depots in the UK this year and a further 11 in France. It will also refurbish around 40 older UK depots.

In its 2020 full-year results, Howdens reported sales of £1.55 billion, down 2.3% on 2019. Pre-tax profit was £185.3 million, which was down 28.9% on 2019. At the time, chief executive Andrew Livingstone said: “Howdens performed well during 2020. We adapted to Covid trading conditions and progressed our strategic plans for the business. Our performance demonstrates the strength of our trade only business model and our ability to evolve the business while prioritising the health and wellbeing of our staff and customers. “Following a sharp drop in sales in quarter two when the UK entered its first national lockdown, our performance improved significantly in the second half, with sales up 16% compared to the equivalent period in 2019, as we benefited from pent-up demand and the consumer’s desire to invest in their homes. The year ended strongly with profit and cash flow ahead of expectations and we were able to repay the Government furlough and other support taken earlier in the year. We are also pleased to be resuming dividend payments.”

Howdens will release its 2021 halfyear report on July 22.

Hoover nearly triples its share of built-in appliances market

In only 15 months, appliance manufacturer Hoover has almost tripled its built-in market share in the UK.

According to Amdea data in April 2021, Hoover went from a 3.9% market share of the built-in appliances category in January 2020 to 11.3%.

The built-in portfolio includes more than 500 models, from ovens, hobs, washing machine wine coolers and laundry. The product categories of cooking, cooling, dishwashing and laundry have all seen growth in the past 12 months. built-in appliances, at Hoover, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to have hit double-digit market share in such a short time and within a highly-competitive sector. We have worked strategically to build our retailer relationships with a focus on independents, mass merchants and a newly-formed contracts channel, all of which have contributed significantly to our success.

“In the past, the business was driven by integrated laundry sales and, while we have grown our shares in this category with one-in-three built-in washing machines sold in the UK being manufactured by the group, we’ve also achieved record shares in built-in dishwashers, cooling and cooking– something we are immensely proud of.”

Platt concluded: “We invest heavily in all of our product development, ensuring we are offering consumers reliable, hard-working appliances that put the very latest connected technology at the forefront. A good example of this is our range of ovens that can be controlled remotely via an app, as well as providing access to over 200 healthy recipes.

“We are also offering marketing support in the form of TV advertising on the Collection 3 connected cooking range, featuring our Hoover brand ambassador, Simon Rimmer, as well as digital and radio advertising campaigns. This is just the start of our journey for the built-in market and we have big ambitions to continue on our successful growth trajectory.”