Industry News

TKC INVESTS £1 MILLION IN NEW PAINT LINE

Kitchen manufacturer TKC has invested £1 million in a new spray line. The upgrade will increase TKC’s capacity for its paint to order doors and help maintain the current lead time of 10-15 days.

The extension of the spray factory at its Denton Manchester HQ will help offer an enhanced paint to order service across multiple doors ranges available on its On Trend and Jigsaw portfolios.

The new facility will house a new 3000 sq ft building adjacent to TKC’s existing spray facility, housing a Cefla semi-automated paint line. Operated by robotic machinery, the new system will deliver a perfectly smooth matt painted finish with the assurance of consistently high quality.

The investment of the new paint line shows the popularity of painted kitchens, and it allows TKC to have greater flexibility in colour palettes. As well as the new facility, there have been ongoing operational improvements as the company responds to high consumer demand, which includes increasing stock levels to a record £8m.

The paint to order service is currently available on the Lucente, Vivo, Cartmel, Cambridge, Newmarket, Windsor and Ascot door ranges with

EASY BATHROOMS TO EXPAND AFTER £13M CASH INJECTION

Bathroom retailer Easy Bathrooms is set to increase its turnover and staffing levels by 50% following a £13 million cash injection. The Yorkshire-headquartered retailer employs 670 people across its nationwide chain of stores and the announcement comes after Easy Bathrooms celebrated the milestone of opening its 100th store on Boxing Day. Its rapid expansion is expected to boost turnover for Easy Bathrooms from £62.3m to £95m year on year.

The finance package it secured from Lloyds Bank will allow it to open a new warehouse that will triple pallet capacity from 15,000 to 60,000 and pave the way for the creation of up to 400 new roles.

Easy Bathrooms said that it will continue with its nationwide store roll-out and will invest in its in-house design capabilities ahead of a full range refresh. It opened 32 stores in 2021 and expects to match that rate of growth in 2022.

From Lloyds Bank, relationship director Mark Butterworth commented: “Easy Bathrooms is an instantly recognisable, trusted British brand, and we are excited to support the team as they embark on this next phase of their growth journey.

“A leading local employer in Yorkshire, they are a prime example of a brand that has expanded at a pace that is impressive, but still sustainable, tapping into market demand without sacrificing the quality they are known for.” no minimum order quantity. In addition, TKC’s colour palette has been extended to 28 in 2022, with amazon green, fir green, sapphire blue, dusky pink and anthracite the latest additions.

NOLTE EXPANDS UK STORES WITH ACQUISITION OF THE KITCHEN GROUP

German kitchen manufacturer Nolte Küchen has acquired The Kitchen Group Retail Company Ltd’s six showrooms for an undisclosed sum.

The deal was done on December 20 last year and sees the German manufacturer add the six Leicht Kitchen Design Centre stores owned by Liam Hopper (pictured) to its UK showroom portfolio, which already includes the six In-toto stores it acquired in March last year. That makes a total of 12 showrooms.

The studios in question are located in Sevenoaks, Battersea, Hampstead, Tunbridge Wells, Milton Keynes and Nottingham. The stores will be completely refurbished and supported by a nationwide marketing campaign.

Nolte said that the acquisition is part of its long-term strategy to focus on building and strengthening a comprehensive dealer network in the UK.

By adding new partners to its distribution network and incorporating franchise businesses within its structure, Nolte said it will use its large portfolio of stores to increase brand awareness and help it gain importance and authority in the contract and project sectors.

Nolte UK country manager Chris Rushby said: “The Kitchen Group is well known for premium kitchens Made in Germany and has a strong retail and project presence. Moving forward, the sole brand focus will be on Nolte and enhancing both retail and project activities by providing excellent services to end customers, architects and developers alike.”

GROHE RED HOT TAP

GROHE, has developed GROHE Red which provides on-demand kettle hot water in the exact amount needed – safely and directly from the kitchen tap.

“It usually takes around four to five minutes for a kettle to bring a litre of water to a boil, while boiling on a hob can take more than twice as long. Our aim to create new opportunities to redefine kitchen taps and enhance them through functions that add real life value.” Explains Jonas Brennwald, Leader LIXIL EMENA, Co-CEO Grohe AG. “With this appliance, we offer our professional partners a real kitchen hero, making their customers’ day-to-day lives easier and more resourceful, saving them time for the things and people they love”.

www.grohe.co.uk/grohe-red

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CLICK HERE BLUM SPONSOR THE INNOVATION AWARDS AT KBB BIRMINGHAM 2022

As in previous years, Blum is delighted to confirm that it will again be sponsoring the innovation awards at kbb Birmingham 2022.

The awards will be judged at the show, by a panel of six judges. Amanda Hughes - Architect & Interior Design Liaison at Blum, Richard Hibbert - KBSA Chairperson, Lindsey Rendall - BIID President, Katrina Burroughs - Design Journalist for The Times, Andy Davies - Managing Editor of kbbReview and Andy Bishop - Creative Director of kbb Birmingham.

Amanda comments that she will be looking for real innovations, which cover several key issues, that are important to the whole industry.

First of her key topics is sustainability - but combined with a credible offer. Sustainability is currently a very relevant subject, and the judges all hope to see some really innovative products for this category. Alongside sustainability are other important considerations in the judging process. Manufacturers should try and address the issues around small living spaces, where Quality of Living is such an important consideration. End users should be considered at every stage of the manufacturing/retailer process.

Amanda also sees a gap in the market to cater for multiple needs for multiple users. Many homes now include three or even four generations, and with smaller space available, multipurpose originality will help minimise overcrowding.

The judges will create a shortlist of 10 products that will be displayed in a gallery built at the kbb event in March. There are 3 final awards: The Judges’ overall winner, the Sustainability winner and the People's Choice, which is voted for onsite by kbb visitors. These 3 winners will be announced at the event on Tuesday 8th March.

www.blum.com

GIRA ACQUIRES 100 PER CENT OF THE SHARES IN WANDSWORTH

The arrival of 2022 has witnessed Smart building pioneer Gira, acquire Wandsworth.

Wandsworth, founded in 1904 and based in Woking, currently has 110 employees and manufactures switch ranges and professional emergency call systems for hospitals and care facilities. It has two business divisions “Wandsworth Electrical” and “Wandsworth Healthcare.”

“When two healthy, successful and independent family businesses come together with different strengths that complement each other in a special way, it is a perfect formula for growth and success. And when the culture, values and aspirations of both companies are as closely related as they are at Wandsworth and Gira, then this can only be a success story,” declared Dirk Giersiepen, Managing Partner of Gira, and Dominik Marte, Managing Marketing and Sales Director from 1 March 2022, in a personal letter to the Wandsworth staff.

Smart building specialist Gira, whose systems and solutions are sold in 40 countries, primarily in Europe and Asia, has been active in the UK since 2011, with its own sales company since 2018. By acquiring Wandsworth, Gira hopes to sustainably tap into the growth potential of the large British market and expand its market position. “The brand recognition of Wandsworth, its large customer network, and its sales strength in the UK will allow us to access the British market in a completely different way than before,” commented Gira’s Managing Director Marketing and Sales, Dominik Marte, adding that this applied even more as Adam Sherry, owner and chief executive of Wandsworth since 2013, would continue to run the company for the next few years at both parties’ request. “His great market knowledge and his personality as a guarantor of trust and continuity are important building blocks in helping us achieve our growth targets,” said Dirk Giersiepen.

In turn, Wandsworth will benefit from the huge expertise in electronics, smart building and software that has accumulated in the Gira Group. “Wandsworth has little in-house expertise in these areas, which will continue to gain importance in our industry. Working together in the Gira Group will open up new opportunities for us on the product side,” explained Wandsworth CEO Adam Sherry. For example, KNX technology, a globally successful standard in building automation, will be available to Wandsworth in future for integration into its product range.

www.gira.com

ABODE APPOINTS NEW PROJECT ENGINEER

Abode, manufacturers of kitchen taps, sinks, bathroom taps & showering solutions has welcomed Frank Cassidy as newly appointed Project Engineer within its Design & Quality Department to support and manage a wide range of exciting projects and development opportunities currently ongoing, planned-in or new to both brand and business.

Frank’s new role will largely impact future growth as Abode enters a new phase of business evolution in 2022 with a series of product innovations and new commercial prospects to be unveiled next year. His previous role as Quality, Technical & Maintenance Manager for a leading kitchen manufacturer saw him responsible for tooling development and process improvements, which will be put to good use given the level of excellence and ingenuity on offer at Abode.

www.abodedesigns.co.uk

UWLA TO LAUNCH A SERIES OF MEDIA PACKS AT KBB

The Unified Water Label Association, (UWLA) will launch a series of media packs for retailers, installers and merchants at the 2022 KBB exhibition (06-09 March NEC Birmingham).

The packs have been developed for use by members across Europe to drive home the Water Matters message and help consumers understand the link between using water, energy and their carbon footprint. The pack includes a range of tools, flyers, posters, social media posts and videos, with tips and advice on how to save water in the home.

UWLA MD Yvonne Orgill says, “Consumer interest in sustainability is growing and recent research shows that they are willing to change behaviour patterns so that they can have a positive impact on the planet. Rising fuel prices are also changing attitudes, with more people wanting to save energy in order to save money.

“The Unified Water Label is an established and recognised smart tool that can provide consumers with the information they need to facilitate change, making it more important than ever to make the Label visible and illustrate the benefits.

“We have the support of manufacturers. We now want to keep our focus on communication, encouraging those in the supply chain that sell and install, to ensure more of these products are used in the home.

“2022 will be a crucial year for the Water Label as we continue our dialogue with government on the introduction of mandatory label. We need the support of the industry to promote our voluntary label which is tried and tested in the marketplace. If the government does not accept the Unified Water Label as its solution and develops its own mandatory label, this is likely to come with restrictions. Enforced restrictions will stifle innovation and force manufacturers to limit their product range.

“ We welcome interested parties to our stand at KBB B46 to find out how they can play their part.

www.uwla.eu