Please click on 'THE K&BZINE' links to view the whole issue, or on 'more on this story' just to see that particular story:
THE K&BZINE ISSUE 198 29th June 2007
BMA
Reports Successful Annual General Meeting
The
Bathroom Manufacturers Association's (BMA) Annual General Meeting (AGM)
took place on Thursday 21st June 2007 at Crewe Hall in Cheshire. The AGM
was very well attended with more than 40 representatives from BMA member
companies, corporate sponsors of the Bathroom Academy, representatives
from potential new member companies and editors from some of the Industry's
trade publications.
[More
on this Story]
KBSA
Launches Accessible Website and Announces New Corporate Vice Chair
Barbara
Leech, corporate chair of the KBSA launched a new accessible kitchens
area of the KBSA website and announced that Bruce Thomas of Wentworth
Kitchens is to become corporate vice chair at the AGM held on 21st June.
‘Accessibility and inclusive design are very important issues for
our industry as 10% of today's population has varying degrees of disability
and by 2020 half the adult population will be aged over 50,’ says
Barbara.
[More
on this Story]
Training
Gives Perfect View of Sight Impairment
To
furnish architects and specifiers with the benefits of colour contrast
in door furniture, and the equipment available for the disabled in bathrooms
and the like, turnquest UK has opened a new training centre. Kitted out
with 'state of the art' audio visual equipment, the centre can entertain
about a dozen architects at a time, to bring them up to date with the
latest developments in the HEWI range of door furniture, grab rails, and
sanitary ancillaries.
[More
on this Story]
Poggenpohl
Launches +SERVICE in Pursuit of the 'Perfect Kitchen'
German
kitchen manufacturer Poggenpohl says that it has always been known for
its high standards of quality, exclusivity and innovative thinking - and
now there is +SERVICE from Poggenpohl.
[More
on this Story]
Export
Success for Marflow
The
traditional St James collection of bathroom brassware from established
tap and shower manufacturer Marflow Engineering is proving to be a success
all over the world. The classic styling of the St James collection has
been selected as the product of choice by many international hotels, most
recently the Windsor Hotel in Philadelphia, USA and The Grand Hotel Europe
in St Petersburg, Russia, part of the Orient Express Group of Hotels.
[More
on this Story]
Crack
Sales Force to Boost Revenue for Kitchenaid Premium Built-In Category
Steve
Corby, National Sales Manager for Maytag UK, is to head up a crack sales
force to drive penetration of the new KitchenAid range of premium built-in
major domestic appliances.
[More
on this Story]
Blum
Uses Grand Designs for UK Product Launch
Furniture fittings expert Blum exhibited at Grand Designs Live for the
third time and once again experienced a very successful show. At Grand
Designs 2007 Blum launched the new SERVO-DRIVE automatic drawer opening
system which opens drawers smoothly and effortlessly in response to slight
pressure from the hand, knee, elbow or whatever.
[More
on this Story]
Cutting
Edge Kitchens for Gateshead Students
Gateshead
College has appointed Spennymoor-based Howell Cummings to supply and install
the training and commercial kitchens at its new £37m Baltic Campus.
The £330k investment is just a small part of what will make the
landmark building a world-class learning environment.
[More
on this Story]
De-clutter
by Design with InSinkErator®
Kitchen
designers looking to help UK consumers de-clutter their kitchens can help
their clients by recommending food waste disposers and Steaming Hot Water
Taps.
[More
on this Story]
It's
Fun Being 30!!
It was party time at The Bristan Group HQ recently, when hundreds of employees,
their families, and even the sun, turned out to help celebrate the company's
30th birthday. The Bristan Group celebrated its 30th birthday in style
with a fabulous family fun day on June 9th.
[More
on this Story]
Cesana's
Success at Building Centre
Italian
shower manufacturer Cesana and bathroom, kitchen and appliance distributor,
PJH Group say that they are delighted with the success of their display
stand at the Building Centre in central London.
[More
on this Story]
Daro
Showroom Offers Huge Variety
Manufacturer
and supplier of fittings for the furniture and allied industries, Daro
Factors, has opened a new showroom at the company’s headquarters
in Hackney Wick, east London.
[More
on this Story]
Gessi
has Grand Designs on TV!
Luxury
tap manufacturer, Gessi of Italy, has recently been featured on Channel
4’s iconic Grand Designs programme presented by Kevin McCloud.
[More
on this Story]
Not
Just Jobs for the Boys
Tabitha
Davies is The Tile Association’s first female fixer member. Tabitha
was tiling runner up at Skillbuild 2004 and was TTA Best Newcomer award
winner in 2005.
[More
on this Story]
ECF
Equips with Homag for Expansion
Supplier
of furniture fittings and components, East Coast Fittings (ECF), has invested
in new Homag Group technology to expand capacity and reach new levels
of accuracy in the carcase and cabinet manufacturing division.
[More
on this Story]
HOMAG
Group AG plans IPO in 2007
HOMAG
Group AG has announced its intention to go public before the end of 2007.
The company is planning to obtain a listing in the Official Market (Prime
Standard) at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
[More
on this Story]
Homag
Cuts and Wraps at Tech Doors
Oldham-based
Tech Doors has an impressive growth and success record. Managing Director
Dennis Ogden started production of bedroom and kitchen cabinet doors in
June 2003 and as of mid 2007 has realised a current turnover of £1.2
million.
[More
on this Story]
THE K&BZINE ISSUE 197 22nd June 2007
Recycled
Water WC – The Future of Washrooms?
Ideal
Standard, a leading provider of bathroom and kitchen solutions has once
again demonstrated its ongoing support of young student designers with
its sponsorship of the RSA student design awards now in their second successive
year.
[More
on this Story]
Rising
Interest Rates 'A Cloud with a Silver Lining'
Rising
interest rates are bad news for homeowners - but they could be a lifesaver
for some businesses, according to leading commercial analysts Plimsoll
Publishing.
[More
on this Story]
Tony
Set to 'Cook Up a Storm' in New Role
Tony
Glass is cooking on gas in his new role as Divisional Manager of Kitchens
for Anglian Home Improvements. Anglian has appointed Tony to oversee the
re-launch of its kitchen product range and introduction of state-of-the
art design technology, which will enable customers to conduct a 3-D 'walk-through'
of their new kitchen before it is fitted.
[More
on this Story]
Bushboard
Signals New Era for Worksurfaces
Bushboard,
the independent worktop manufacturer, signalled its future direction in
the worktop sector at a recent high profile launch at the exclusive Rushton
Hall, near Kettering.
[More
on this Story]
Belling
Sponsors the UK's First Ever Children's Food Festival
Belling
is inviting children to discover the wonders of food and cooking at the
UK's first ever food festival created especially for them. The Children's
Food Festival, organised by the Northmoor Trust, will take place over
the weekend of 14th and 15th July 2007.
[More
on this Story]
Bathroom
Academy reaches Afghanistan!
Imagine the surprise when a letter all the way from Afghanistan arrived
on the desk of Bathroom Academy Training Manager, Phil Lumley. The letter
was from a Corporal currently serving with the Army in Afghanistan working
his way through a Plumbing Theory Course.
[More
on this Story]
Coram
Introduces Glass Etching Technology
Coram
Showers has extended the glass finish options for its flagship Premier
range of shower enclosures following the installation of an advanced glass
etching machine at the company's state-of-the-art manufacturing facility
in Shropshire.
[More
on this Story]
Maytag's
New Finish High-Gloss Black
Maytag
UK
says that it is bringing the next generation of colour and finish to the
market with the introduction of High-Gloss Black.
[More
on this Story]
Visitors
Enjoy a 'Grand' Day for the Third Year Running
Over
43,000 visitors flocked to Grand Designs Live London 2007, the number
one UK consumer show for design and innovation. Running from 8-10 June,
Grand Designs Live gave visitors the opportunity to meet representatives
from over 600 exhibiting companies
[More
on this Story]
Micromark
Leads the Revival of the Teasmade
What’s
the latest trend in electrical products in UK bedrooms? Electrical company
Micromark is instrumental in leading the comeback of the nation’s
favourite from yesteryear – the teasmade.
[More
on this Story]
Refreshing
News from Screwfix
Screwfix
has refreshed its selection of showers and bathrooms with the addition
of leading brand names such as Triton, Fordham, Aqualux and Grohe.
[More
on this Story]
Deca
Basins from Aquaplus Solutions
Luxury
bathroom product distributor Aquaplus Solutions counts Brazillian manufacturer
Deca as one of its major suppliers. Deca offers a range of ceramic basins,
of which there are over 70 in the range, including the APS-L68 (pictured).
[More
on this Story]
Gunilla
Nordström Appointed Head of Electrolux Major Appliances Asia Pacific
Gunilla
Nordström has been appointed head of Electrolux Major Appliances
Asia Pacific and Executive Vice President of AB Electrolux. Gunilla Nordström
succeeds Peter Birch, who is retiring.
[More
on this Story]
Electrolux
Eco Savings Project
London
could save as much as 333,600 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually (in
reduced electricity consumption) by replacing outdated and energy-hungry
old appliances with new, energy-efficient products, says a study by Electrolux,
dubbed the Eco Savings Project.
[More
on this Story]
Fifty
Fabulous Years of Fablon - Creativity, Fun and Style!
If
you want to update your tired kitchen cabinets, the kids bedrooms or even
create an arts and crafts project for the school holidays, Fablon is the
product for you.
[More
on this Story]
Successful
Launch of the South East’s First Eco Centre
Covers
Timber and Builders Merchants, successfully launched the South East’s
first Eco Centre in Chichester, which will provide consumers with a one
stop shop of environmentally friendly products for the home and garden.
[More
on this Story]
THE K&BZINE ISSUE 196 15th June 2007
New
Market Report Shows Kitchen Market Grew by over 5% in 2006
A
new edition of JKMR's Overview Report on the UK Kitchen Furniture Market
has just been published. Report findings show that the kitchen market
continued to grow in 2006, with almost 1.075 million kitchens being purchased
last year, up 2.5% on the level seen in 2005.
[More
on this Story]
Pronorm
Reports Business Growth in UK Market
Pronorm,
manufacturer of contemporary rigid kitchen furniture, has reported a trebling
of business over the last four years in the UK market, with growth in
excess of 15% for volume and value. The growth comes as a result of the
strategic decision to stand alone from Nobia-owned sister company Poggenpohl
and build its own brand position in the UK market.
[More
on this Story]
Craven
Dunnill Appoints Marketing Director as Company Continues to Grow
Craven
Dunnill, the award winning tile distributor, has appointed Steve Whitehurst
as Marketing Director. Steve previously worked for H & R Johnson Tiles
for 20 years in various sales and marketing roles culminating in the development
and launch of its Material Lab in London.
[More
on this Story]
A
Good Start to the Year for Screwfix
First
quarter results for Screwfix have been very encouraging and showed sales
growth of 25.9% to £103 million in the 13 weeks ending 5th May,
2007. The company, which had a 2006/2007 turnover of £345m, has
continued its Trade Counter initiative with 15 Trade Counters being opened
during the quarter, bringing the total to 61 across the UK.
[More
on this Story]
Beko
Sponsors Watford FC
Beko,
asupplier of Major Domestic Appliances & Televisions, has signed a
two year deal that will see the company invest a significant sum into
Watford Football Club, and that deal will now see the Beko logo emblazoned
across the Hornets' shirts for the next two seasons.
[More
on this Story]
BMA
Announces Annual General Meeting
The
Bathroom Manufacturers Association's (BMA) Annual General Meeting (AGM)
will take place on Thursday 21st June 2007 at Crewe Hall in Cheshire.
[More
on this Story]
Britannia
Launches New Range Cooker Collection
Britannia
launched its new Range Cooker collection at Grand Design last week in
collaboration with fashion designer Avsh Alom Gur.
[More
on this Story]
My
Dream Kitchen 'Inundated With New Customers' At Grand Designs
Both
My Dream Kitchen and De Dietrich were first-time exhibitors at Grand Designs
Live! with the East London-based kitchen specialist launching GKUK Kitchens
from Rotpunkt, for which it has exclusive UK rights.
[More
on this Story]
Another
Accolade for PLUSMODO
Poggenpohl’s
PLUSMODO kitchen was announced as the winner of the Kitchen Systems category
in the 2007 Grand Designs Magazine Awards on Friday, June 9th at a gala
dinner held at ExCel.
[More
on this Story]
Smeg
Exhibits Appliances at Grand Designs
Visitors
to the DuPont Corian and DuPont Zodiaq stand at Grand Designs Live 2007
were able to see a selection of build-in Smeg appliances in situ.
[More
on this Story]
Maytag's
Cool Summer Sale!
Maytag
UK, the premier refrigeration and appliance manufacturer has announced
its summer sale. Between 1st July and 30th September, Maytag is dramatically
reducing the price of its three leading refrigeration models, the ZigZag,
the Trilogy and the SOV225GB.
[More
on this Story]
Broughton
Crangrove Galley Matrix Introduces New Communication Tool
Broughton
Crangrove Galley Matrix, the Lancashire based distributor, has introduced
'The Plug', a new marketing communication for customers.
[More
on this Story]
Dancing
in the Streets!
Baumatic
is taking to the roads with its Dance Partners Collection thanks to new
livery sporting the colourful Tango range.
[More
on this Story]
Kitchen
World takes National Second Nature Award
Kitchen
World in Mansfield is on top of the world after achieving PWS' national
Second Nature dealer of the year award. Standards across the 170 strong
Second Nature network were exceptionally high and the final assessment
involved a mystery shop of the 9 regional winners.
[More
on this Story]
Roman
Opens Customer Relations Centre
Roman,
the UK shower manufacturer, has opened a new £100,000 Customer Relationship
Facility where customers can contact Roman with; sales orders, to find
out about promotions, order queries, installation questions, technical
enquiries and to generally receive any help and advice needed.
[More
on this Story]
Formica
Europe Appoints New European Head of Product and Design
Formica
Ltd has announced that Gary Brown has been appointed as European Head
of Product and Design Development. He will be responsible for developing
and implementing the product development and design strategy for the business
in Europe.
[More
on this Story]
Doors
are Opened and Relationships are Made
One of Wales' leading kitchen and bedroom manufacturers opened its doors
on Tuesday 12th June to one of the most influential people in British
business. Sigma 3 Kitchens and Bedrooms welcomed Governor of the Bank
of England, Mervyn King, to its Llantrisant headquarters during his fact
finding trip to Wales.
[More
on this Story]
Symphony
Social Housing Named National Number One
Symphony’s
Social Housing Division has been named one of only two preferred national
suppliers to major property group ROK. At the same time, the Division
has been ranked Number One kitchen supplier in the Procurement for Housing
(PFH) league table.
[More
on this Story]
Change
of CEO at Villeroy & Boch
Frank
Göring is the new CEO of Villeroy & Boch since June 1st. He succeeds
Wendelin von Boch, who will enter into the group's Supervisory Board after
40 years at the vertices of the company.
[More
on this Story]
THE K&BZINE ISSUE 195 8th June 2007
Aqata
Expands Midlands Factory
Aqata,
one of the UK's leading independent British manufacturers of shower enclosures,
is extending its factory space at its headquarters in Leicestershire.
The extension, which will add another 16,000 sq ft of space to Aqata's
growing operations, is due for completion in August 2007.
[More
on this Story]
Bathroom
Academy Students Lead on Water Efficiency
Bathroom
Academy students are leading the way on water efficiency with Dorota Pawlik
and Richard Clarke, both of Wilky Bathrooms, being the first two Members
of the Bathroom Academy to complete the Water Efficiency Merit.
[More
on this Story]
Pyramis
Distributes UK Wide
Pyramis,
the Greek stainless steel sink manufacturer which produces over one million
sinks a year, has signed up a further four well-known companies to distribute
its range of sinks and taps throughout the UK.
[More
on this Story] ~
Bristan
Keeps Pace with Demand
Stealing
a march on the competition, Bristan reports that its 24 hour delivery
service is helping its customers to keep ahead of the game.
[More
on this Story]
Clearwater
Distributor In France
Freestanding
bath manufacturer Clearwater Collection has announced a deal with a new
French distributor, Lazer.
[More
on this Story]
Dyson
Vacuum Ad Attracts 36 Complaints
A TV ad for Dyson vacuum cleaners featured a voiceover that stated 'The
filter in most vacuums clogs with dust, so there is a drop in suction,
but a Dyson doesn't rely on a filter so there's nothing to clog".
On-screen text stated 'others clog ... ours don't ... Dyson. No clogging.
No loss of suction'.
[More
on this Story]
Screwfix
Freshens Up With Grohe Showers And Taps
Grohe
is the latest leading brand name to appear in the new Screwfix catalogue
(issue 87). Incorporating showers, taps, cisterns and cistern frames for
use in domestic and commercial applications, the extensive Grohe range
has joined over 15,000 items for use by all areas of the trade.
[More
on this Story]
Whirlpool
Changes Platforms in North America
Whirlpool
Corporation has announced changes to its North American air control and
cooking platforms to strengthen its position in the global home appliance
marketplace.
[More
on this Story]
Chalon
Ancestral Range to be Launched at House & Garden
Chalon
UK Ltd, designers and manufacturers of hand crafted kitchens and freestanding
furniture, will launch its new Chalon Ancestral kitchen range at this
year's Daily Telegraph House & Garden Fair (27th to 30th June) at
Olympia.
[More
on this Story]
Price Increase for Lucite® Cast Acrylic
Lucite®
cast acrylic for sanitary ware, will be subject to a price increase of
€160 per tonne from 1 July 2007. The new pricing will be applied
to customers in the Europe, Africa and Middle East (EAME) region.
[More
on this Story]
Operations
Changes at Poggenpohl
The
senior management team at Poggenpohl has been strengthened with the appointment
of Simon Richmond as Operations Manager.
[More
on this Story]
Whirlpool
Names Presidents
Whirlpool
Corporation has announced that Michael A. Todman, currently president,
Whirlpool International is being named president, Whirlpool North America.
[More
on this Story]
FSC
Certified Mahogany from John Boddy Timber
John
Boddy Timber import and stock high grade FSC certified Central American
Mahogany for immediate delivery throughout the UK and Ireland.
[More
on this Story]
FIRA
to use ukfirst for New Membership Benefit
In
a move to deliver increased benefits to FIRA members, an exclusive agreement
has been reached with ukfirst - the furniture industry's experts in lean
manufacturing, process improvements and supply chain management.
[More
on this Story]
UK
Gets ‘Sloppy’ Solution to Rubbish Problem
UK
consumers are facing yet another knee-jerk initiative which will allegedly
help them separate household waste and increase recycling rates –
kitchen slop bins!
[More
on this Story]
THE K&BZINE ISSUE 194 1st June 2007
BEKO
Launches New Ad Campaign
BEKO
plc, the appliance manufacturer, is set to launch a new high profile consumer
advertising campaign. The four month campaign began on the 29th May 2007
and represents a real gear shift for the brand, including both online
and print advertising across a range of weekend paper supplements as well
as consumer lifestyle titles.
[More
on this Story]
Eco
House 3 and Electrolux Work Towards the 'Zero Carbon Emission' Home
Electrolux
has recently co-operated with Professor Sue Roaf to help with her Oxford
Eco House which strives for zero carbon emissions. Professor Roaf recently
Chaired the very successful 2nd International Solar Cities Congress in
2006 in Oxford and the 4th International Conference on Comfort at Windsor.
[More
on this Story]
Showers
Take Upper Hand as we Get Too Busy to Bathe
Bath
or shower: it's an issue that threatens to split the nation - and the
signs are that the shower is beginning to get the upper hand, according
to leading home furnishing retailer Housing Units.
[More
on this Story]
SEIEFFE
Industries and OKITE
In
1995, the Izzo family and its Group of companies already well established
in the building industry in central-southern Italy for over 35 years,
decided to carry out detailed market research to internationalise the
Group's business.
[More
on this Story]
The
Long Goodbye
What happens when terminating a contract turns into a lengthy and costly
dispute? What kind of financial awards are involved, or should be involved,
when a contract is terminated between a self-employed sales agent and
the company that uses their services?
[More
on this Story]
Jean
Nouvel Reveals ‘Corian® Nouvel Lumières’
Jean
Nouvel, one of the most creative and challenging architects in the world,
presents ‘Corian® Nouvel Lumières’, a futuristic,
multi-sensorial interior environment concept that explores the creative
interface of Corian® with light and high-tech elements. ‘Corian®
Nouvel Lumières’ - a project organised and sponsored by DuPont™
Corian®.
[More
on this Story]
BK EXPO REVIEWS
First
Time at Expo for Mereway Bathrooms
Mereway
Bathrooms exhibited for the first time at Bathroom & Kitchen Expo
this year, presenting a variety of products launched earlier this spring.
On show were the new ceramic and brassware to support the company’s
successful fitted furniture range, along with a new freestanding furniture
collection.
[More
on this Exhibitor]
Victoria
& Albert Celebrates 10th Anniversary at EXPO
British
freestanding bath specialist Victoria & Albert invited visitors to
Bathroom & Kitchen EXPO 2007 to help the company mark its tenth anniversary
at Stand D30.
[More
on this Exhibitor]
BMA
Reports Fantastic B+K Expo
With
an array of new initiatives, the BMA stand attracted a lot of attention
from manufacturers, retailers, architects, designers and house builders
who were looking for more information about the Bathroom Academy and the
Water Efficient Product Labelling Scheme.
[More
on this Exhibitor]
Matki
Unveils Largest Ever Collection
Matki
Showering has revealed its largest ever line-up of shower enclosures,
walk-in's, brassware and technically advanced shower mixers at Bathroom
and Kitchen Expo 2007 (13th - 15th May).
[More
on this Exhibitor]
Success
for Showerlux at BK Expo 2007
The
new bespoke Designa range from Showerlux was launched to widespread acclaim
at the recent Bathroom & Kitchen Expo 2007 at the Excel Centre in
London.
[More
on this Exhibitor]
The
Future is Orange at William Ball
'Everyone
was talking about the burst of colour that made William Ball's stand at
Expo stand out from the crowds this year,’ the company reports.
[More
on this Exhibitor]
Geberit's
Wall-Hung System Is A Hit
Geberit,
the supplier of sanitary, supply and drainage systems, enjoyed success
with its wall-hung sanitaryware at this year's BK EXPO. Geberit's Duofix
system is a durable metal frame which is concealed behind walls and tiles
and supports wall-hung sanitaryware.
[More
on this Exhibitor]
RAK
Ceramics Achieves 0 to 157 in Three Days
RAK
Ceramics UK has announced that the company is delighted with the results
from this year's Bathroom & Kitchen EXPO. The bathroom brand signed
up over 157 Trilogy dealers over the three day duration of the show.
[More
on this Exhibitor]