SPONSOR NEWS

MARK MILLAR INTRODUCES INSTALLERS TO THE KITCHEN KIT QUICK BUILD CABINET CHALLENGE

Mark Millar, TV Celebrity and Brand Ambassador for Kitchen Kit, now features in a short demo video where he gets two installers to participate in the Kitchen Kit Quick Build Cabinet Challenge in realtime: here

Kitchen Kit is created to make life simple for tradespeople by being easy to choose, buy and build. Furthermore, as its British made, the company provides customers with a three-day delivery which means that even in these current times of lengthening delivery times, Kitchen Kit tradespeople can offer their customers guaranteed short lead times.

www.kitchenkit.co.uk

AQUALISA APPOINTS MAT NORRIS AS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Aqualisa has announced the appointment of Mat Norris as Chief Executive Officer. As part of a planned succession, Mat will replace Colin Sykes, who has held the position since 2018. Colin will remain as a non-executive director and strategic advisor to the business until December, focusing on the company’s international expansion, at which point he will semi-retire and focus on other non-executive roles.

With an extensive career in the manufacturing and engineering sectors, Mat brings a wealth of experience from leadership roles at high-profile organisations including Ford Motor Company, Philips and most recently, ventilation firm Titon Holdings plc, where he served as UK CEO. Mat will work closely with Aqualisa chairman Kevin Sargeant, and will lead a senior management team of eight specialist executives who have been recruited over the last three years as part of the company’s transformation.

In this role, Mat has ambitious plans for the growth of the organisation and will spearhead Aqualisa’s product expansion and innovation strategy. Other developments will include the extension of the firm’s product portfolio to incorporate a premium, channel-exclusive brassware series under a new brand. This multibrand strategy will complement the Aqualisa and Gainsborough brands, and further strengthen the company’s ability to offer its customers differentiated product ranges.

Kevin Sargeant, chairman of Aqualisa, commented, “Mat’s vast expertise from within the manufacturing and technical engineering industries, combined with his significant leadership track record and visionary approach, positions him perfectly to accelerate Aqualisa to the next level in its journey of growth.”

Sargeant added, “I would like to thank Colin Sykes for his significant contribution to the business over the last five years, and for his ongoing commitment and support through this period of transition.”

Mat Norris said, “I am thrilled to be joining our 260 dedicated team members at such a pivotal chapter in the organisation’s history, and I look forward to working with the outstanding management team that Colin has established at Aqualisa. My mission is to accelerate our innovation strategy, while ensuring operational excellence and the agility to meet our long-term growth, profitability and sustainability objectives. I am also eager to continue to build upon the valued relationships we have developed with our loyal customer, client and installer network in the UK, and internationally.”

STEVE HAZLEHURST JOINS OMEGA PLC AS HEAD OF MARKETING

British kitchen manufacturer, Omega PLC, is pleased to announce the appointment of Steve Hazlehurst as Head of Marketing as the company continues to strengthen its growth plans.

Steve is new to the Kitchen sector but comes with over 20 years’ experience in strategic and consumer facing marketing, and brand positioning roles within the fashion and sports performance sector. Steve will focus on supporting Omega’s long-term plans of enhancing the brands experience by driving greater awareness and sell through with Retail partners whilst aiding the continued growth of Omega’s contract offering.

Steve stated, “This is a very exciting time to be joining Omega PLC, who so far have been one of the kitchen sectors best kept secrets. The manufacturing facilities, product offering and service solutions at Omega are second to none and to have the ability to use my marketing experience to bring this to life is an opportunity that I will truly relish.” Simon Barber, CEO of Omega PLC commented, “We are thrilled to welcome Steve to the Omega team. His skills and expertise within the marketing industry have already made him an essential part of the business at what is such an important time for both Omega and the Kitchen industry.

www.omegaplc.co.uk

VITRA APPOINTS NEW CONTRACT SALES MANAGER

VitrA Bathrooms has welcomed Michael Woods to the VitrA Contracts team. Michael joins VitrA as Contract Sales Manager (North), responsible for developing existing and new relationships with the Residential House Build sector. Michael brings with him a wealth of experience and industry knowledge from previous National Merchant and Manufacturer roles.”

Darren Paxford, UK Sales Manager, said, “Michael will be a familiar face to many of our customers from his previous positions. I am personally delighted to welcome him to the VitrA team. He joins us in the company’s 30th year in the UK – at a time of exciting and market-leading innovations. His detailed understanding of the residential sector will be hugely beneficial to both VitrA and our customers.”

Michael said, “I’m delighted and proud to join a Company and team that has such a strong track record in the UK. Homebuilding in the North is booming. It is also fast-paced and multi-faceted. It is exciting to work for a brand with manufacturing control over all its products and such a strong reputation for customer service. I’m delighted to be on board.”

OMEGA PLC PARTNERS WITH COUNTRYSIDE TO DELIVER SUSTAINABLE KITCHENS

BiKBBI sponsor and kitchen manufacturer Omega PLC, has partnered with mixed-tenure developer Countryside to offer top-quality, sustainable kitchens at Parkside Quarter, part of Countryside’s award-winning development Rochester Riverside in Rochester, Medway.

As sustainability becomes an increasingly important matter across society, taking the step to ensure that green practices are embraced in the housebuilding industry is a logical next step. Following an agreement between Omega and Countryside, homes at Parkside Quarter, the latest phase of Countryside and Hyde's award-winning regeneration scheme Rochester Riverside, will be fitted with high-quality sustainable kitchen from Omega’s range of FSC Certified (Forest Stewardship Council) kitchens. Houses at Parkside Quarter will be furnished with a Nouveau Shaker kitchen in Graphite, reflecting a modern take on the traditional shaker-style cabinetry in a tonal grey, while apartments will boast contemporary style Cube kitchen, with sleek lines for maximum space-saving in Dark Blue, an on-trend but classic colour. www.omegaplc.co.uk

'As sustainability becomes an increasingly important matter across society, taking the step to ensure that green practices are embraced in the housebuilding industry is a logical next step."

ROMAN FEATURED ON ‘5 NEWS’

Shower designer and manufacturer, Roman, were delighted to welcome ‘5 News’ producers to its headquarters in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham which culminated with a production being aired on ‘5 News.’

In the news piece, the company’s Chief Operations Officer, John Wright, discussed the challenges that the North East based manufacturer has faced due to COVID-19, stressed that as the challenges unravel, Roman’s objective is to get supply chains back to normal as global uncertainty highlights many strong reasons to buy products that are manufactured in Britain.

John Pearce, CEO at ‘Made in Britain’ commented: "The perfect storm created by

Left to right; Sophie Stanwix, Marketing Communications Manager for Roman, Peter Lane, TV News Correspondent for 5 News, Vicky McIntyre, Freelance Shoot Edit for 5 News, and John Wright, Chief Operations Officer for Roman

recent economic events has made conditions challenging for almost all British business, and manufacturers have it harder than most. However, I have the privilege of hearing on a daily basis about the work that being done by ‘Made in Britain’ members such as Roman Ltd. Great companies like this epitomise the commitment, innovation, adaptability and resilience that are embedded in the DNA of British manufacturing whilst ensuring the sustainable growth of our sector."

“It was a pleasure to be interviewed by Channel 5 news today regarding our current trading conditions in light of the GDP annual growth rate of 7.5% announcement at that time and the issues relating to Covid. I expressed that our strong sales growth more than reflected the GDP figure and explained the current challenges we are facing due to the worldwide increases in commodity prices and very high freight costs. All things considered, we are extremely positive about Roman’s future.” added John Wright, Chief Operations Officer at Roman Ltd.

www.roman-showers.com

FORMICA GROUP WORKTOPS POPULAR AT KBB BIRMINGHAM

The Formica Group showcased its popular worktop designs and collections at the recent KBB Birmingham exhibition, including the full range of Axiom® by Formica Group, Formica Prima®, and Aria® worktops.

The Formica Group stand hosted home and kitchen retailers, interior designers, architects, and distributors experiencing the full product range up close with the striking abstract décor Layered Sand in 22mm square edge format with matching full-length splashback proving a firm favourite among visitors at the stand.

Speaking at the event about the Formica group stand design and its tie to current kitchen designs trends, Nina Bailey, Formica Group European Design Lead commented, “Colour and patterns are quick, accessible ways to put personality into a kitchen. A great tool to do this is by installing a splashback. Prominent kitchen trends now are dark blues and green tones which we’ve tapped into with our splashback colours in our Axiom® by Formica Group, and Formica Prima® ranges. We are also seeing duskier tones of pink as a recurrent trend over the years in the UK market, you can find Blush in the Axiom® Collection splashback range. The wood-onwood combination is a new theme for kitchen spaces, a style you can achieve in both the Axiom® Collection and Formica Prima® range with matching breakfast bars, worktops, upstands and splashbacks."

According to visitors, the talking point at the stand was the Formica Rewards program which is designed to support and reward kitchen retailers with a range of benefits which include:

- Earning points as a retailer on any purchase made on Formica worktops and redeeming prizes from over 95+ stores in the United Kingdom. - Access to a resource library filled with digital brochures, product images for use on social media and websites plus full sheet scans

- Being the first to know about new Formica products plus a dedicated support team to handle any enquiries.

To know more about Formica Rewards, visit :

www.formicarewards.com. www.formica.com

CARBON NEUTRAL ACHIEVMENT FOR ROMAN

UK shower enclosure manufacturer, Roma, has announced that it’s achieved carbon neutral certification from the Carbon Trust.

The process is extremely thorough and covers all operations and emissions from Roman’s 400,000 square feet manufacturing site in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham. This also includes assessments of emissions from employee’s commuting, business travel and the treatment of waste generated in own operations.

Achieving Carbon Neutral status has been a key objective for Roman over recent years and highlights Roman’s enormous ongoing commitment to the environment. Roman has a significant focus on materials and the Circular Economy and is committed to only using recycled aluminum and ensuring that all packaging is from recycled cardboard.

Hugh Jones, Managing Director, Advisory at the Carbon Trust said: “We have worked with Roman Limited this year to verify their 2019 and 2020 Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions in accordance with ISO 14064-3. Roman Limited has met the requirements under “We are extremely proud to have achieved Carbon Neutral status. This is already extremely important for us in the hotel and project sector; increasingly so in housebuilding; and will hopefully become ever more important in the retail sector."

PAS 2060 and we are delighted to certify their emissions and operations at Durham as carbon neutral as part of their sustainability journey.

David Osborne, CEO of Roman, added: “We are extremely proud to have achieved Carbon Neutral status. This is already extremely important for us in the hotel and project sector; increasingly so in housebuilding; and will hopefully become ever more important in the retail sector. As an established and renowned British manufacturer, we give huge focus to sustainability and further breakthroughs will be coming over the next few years.”