ANNUAL REVIEW

2016 - A YEAR TO REMEMBER!

Wow! What a year 2016 proved to be! We witnessed massive political and sporting surprises and observed some shocking items of news throughout the year; we also lost many iconic famous figures too. Thankfully, on a business front, things were a little less extreme for the BiKBBI in 2016, but it did prove to be a massively eventful year for the organisation and in a purely positive way.

It began in January when the long-established Symphony Group were unveiled as an official Installations Partner joining huge brands like John Lewis Partnership, B & Q and Bathstore who had already committed to the same initiative. Symphony is the UK's largest privately owned manufacturer of fitted kitchen, bedroom and bathroom furniture with a turnover exceeding £100 million. Its customers include private developers, social housing providers, hoteliers and independent retailers throughout the UK and overseas so it was a massive coup to get them on board.

March was an enormously busy month for the BiKBBI as it exhibited at the KBB 2016 Exhibition in Birmingham with 2 stands, one of which was used to promote The Installer Magazine. The show provided a perfect platform for the institute to launch its Corporate Membership Scheme (CMS) as it is an initiative that provides opportunities for kbb manufacturers to create closer links with the guys and girls who install their products. The CMS will bring big benefits to the BiKBBI membership.

March also welcomed two new and highly influential additions to the BiKBBI board in John Peerless and Vince Linnane. John brought with him over 40 years of experience and is the former Chairman of Trading

March was an enormously busy month for the BiKBBI as it exhibited at the KBB 2016 Exhibition in Birmingham.

Standards Institute and current Principle Trading Standards Officer at Brighton & Hove City Council. A consumer champion and hugely influential senior Trading Standards Officer, John has a keen interest in consumer rights and the exposure of rogue traders.

Vince has specialised in risk management and the underwriting of risk within the construction industry for the last 25 years and his experience is a massive asset to the institute. Both Vince and John are board members at The Furniture Ombudsman and Vince has a specific interest in protecting retail customers for some of the largest blue-chip retailers and national organisations that raise standards within their respective industries.

With the June ‘Brexit’ referendum moving ever closer, the BiKBBI decided to consult its membership to get an indicator as to how the Brexit vote may result. Despite nationwide shock at the eventual result, our members were spot on with their OUT vote which ‘flew in the face’ of many of the time-honoured poll prediction organisations like Mori, YouGov and Gallup. An amazing 65% said they would vote to leave the EU. 25% said they would vote to remain in the EU and 10% said they were undecided.

Good news followed in May with Waste Management giant HIPPO WASTE confirming its renewal as a full sponsor of the institute. HIPPO has recently launched new initiatives that create great solutions for BiKBBI members enabling easier working environments and project management. Check out their website for more details at www.hippowaste.co.uk

In June a strategic Partnership was agreed when the BiKBBI teamed up with NICEIC and ELECSA to promote consumer safety within the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom installation market. Paul Collins, Technical Services Manager at NICEIC and ELECSA, said at the time: “We are pleased to be working alongside the BiKBBI to look at ways that the NICEIC

Good news followed in May with Waste Management giant HIPPO WASTE confirming its renewal as a full sponsors.

With the June ‘Brexit’ referendum moving ever closer, the BiKBBI decided to consult its membership to get an indicator as to how the Brexit vote may result.

The institute reached its 10th birthday which was marked with a gathering of supporters, members, sponsors, partners and media at the House of Commons. and ELCESA can support the institute and help it achieve its aims. Many NICEIC, ELECSA and BiKBBI registrants will already be undertaking work in the kbb sector so it makes sense to come together and look at ways that we can support installers and promote consumer safety to ensure that work is completed to a high standard by competent installers.”

It was a very important step for the BiKBBI as its members can operate in potentially dangerous environments on a daily basis, often working with a combination of gas, electricity and water. It made sense to partner with those whose specialist subject is safety in the home. 2016 was a landmark year for the institute as it reached its 10th birthday. This was marked with a gathering of supporters, members, sponsors, partners and media at the House of Commons. The Parliamentary buildings provided a perfect venue for such an event as the institute has been supported, endorsed and championed from day one by MP Brian Binley and more latterly Stephen Metcalf MP. Though 10 years was in the minds of all who attended, the event was marked with the launch of various positive initiatives and announcements including publishing and event giant UBM as a sponsor and the announcement of a partnership with the wonderful charity ‘Veterans Care After Combat.’

August was ground-breaking as the BiKBBI launched its very own iAcademy, the industries first online CPD portal. The Continual Professional Development website facilitates for tradesmen to sharpen up their customer service skills and learn more about their contractual obligations. Working with The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), the new iAcademy has several TradeSimple e-learning modules aimed at improving legal compliance.

This monumental year ended with a huge announcement that the institute was to undergo a change in name that’s designed to help the institute better meet its objectives as it moves forward. Approval for the change

followed a series of discussions in early 2016 with The Secretary of State which resulted with the proclamation that and on January 1st 2017 the Institute of Kitchen Bedroom & Bathroom Installers (iKBBI) officially became:

The British Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom & Bathroom Installation

The BiKBBI CEO, Damian Walters states “The change is hugely significant as the introduction of the word 'British' better reflects the institute’s ascendancy and acceptance within Great Britain since it inception ten years ago. The re-brand will enable the organisation, and importantly its members, to market itself as the pre-eminent trade body in its market within the UK. A new logo will incorporate a Union Jack theme and members of the institute will be entitled to use the post-nominal letters BiKBBI.”

Damian continued, “The two key changes are; along with the word 'Institute', the word 'British' is a protected term within British Law, use is restricted only to those organisations that represent their industry at the highest level.

The second change is the replacement of the word 'Installers' in the name, to 'Installation'. It is felt that the change represents the BiKBBI’s evolvement within the wider industry, which extends beyond those who install on the frontline. It's incredibly important that all key stakeholders are engaged including manufacturers and retailers to ensure the industry delivers the very best installation service to those consumers who invest in our sector.

2016 was a landmark year for the institute as it reached its 10th birthday.

This monumental year ended with a huge announcement that the institute was to undergo a change in name officially became: The British Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom & Bathroom Installation.

So 2016 was a biggie! It was a year with many positives for the organisation and one of many shocks and surprises from a more general news aspect. 2017 is already shaping up to be a positive one for the BiKBBI with another sponsor announced in this issue in global brand Wilsonart. Let’s hope that the year proves to be an incredibly successful one for all BiKBBI members.