ALNO
Opens Luxury Kitchen Showroom and Contracts Centre in Sevenoaks
ALNO
yesterday (27th October 2005) opened a new luxury kitchen showroom and
contract sales operation in Dunton Green, near Sevenoaks, Kent. The
25,000 sq ft centre, which was opened by John Kinder, managing director
of ALNO (UK), houses two distinct operations.
ALNO at Sevenoaks is the company's second UK flagship store and displays
over 15 fully fitted kitchens in a 3,000 sq ft showroom. The store has
been created to showcase the best in kitchen design and innovation from
ALNO.
John
Kinder (talking to Debbie, left), md of ALNO UK, opened the new showroom
yesterday and hosted a busy open day
Attending
the Sevenoaks launch (from right to left), John Kinder, Managing Director
of ALNO (UK), David Hesketh, General Manager of ALNO Southern Contracts,
Dr Frank Gebert, CEO of ALNO AG, and Steve Knight of ALNO Southern Contracts.
The
retail business will be owned and operated for ALNO by experienced kitchen
designer Phil Gibson, who says, 'I am looking forward to working with
the ALNO brand, which is well-known to readers of top lifestyle magazines.
From this location, we can offer ALNO kitchens to consumers throughout
Kent and south London.
The Sevenoaks facility is also home to ALNO Southern Contracts, a successful
operation which has been supplying kitchens to house builders throughout
the south of England and Wales for over ten years.
The
ALNO Southern Contracts team were all present at the launch of the new
showroom in Sevenoaks
David Hesketh general manager of ALNO Southern Contracts, says, 'As the market for new homes becomes more competitive, house builders recognise that offering a well-known and nationally advertised luxury kitchen brand can add immeasurably to the sales potential of their products.'
(Left)
The stylish ALNOCLOU in beech (front), with green glass splashbacks
and at the back of the picture ALNOCLAIR in antique vanilla; (Right)
One of the many trendy kitchen ranges showcased at Sevenoaks is ALNOLINE
with foil-wrapped fronts and horizontal groove detail.
Some
15 kitchens are on permanent display, including the increasingly popular
ALNOFINN (left) which is also available in cream and white, and several
examples of the mid-market Impuls range which is finding favour in the
new build and social housing market including this one which had a sliding
glass cover instead of a door.
More
glass here, with countertops and splashbacks supplied by kitchen glass
specialists Glass Express, which is based not far away from the new
ALNO showroom in Ashford, and also has a London showroom (Contact Andy
Frampton at Glass Express on 01233 642220)
Another
type of worktop, this time made from Corian, one of the only materials
recommended for hospitals and dental surgeries because of its lack of
joints or other bacteria attracting gaps. This particular worktop has
an integral sink unit and has grooves pre-routed for the pot stand.
It was made by Corian specialists Whitehall Fabrications (Contact Maggie
McShane on 07771 666956 or email mmcshane@whitehall-uk.com)
Four experienced ALNO Contract divisions service the construction industry
in Northern and Southern England, Scotland and Ireland. Strong awareness
of the ALNO brand helps the contract divisions sell to the developers,
whether it is the luxury ALNO retail brand or the other brand in the
portfolio - Impuls, which is highly competitive for the housing market.
They design, supply and install for some of the country's leading house
builders including Barratt Homes, Fairclough, Bellway Homes, Charles
Church, AS Homes and Swan Hill Homes.
As part of the restructuring which followed the acquisition by ALNO
AG in Germany of the Casawell Group, ALNO transferred its UK headquarters
from Hanworth to Dewsbury, the former home of Wellmann (UK).
The offices and warehousing at Sevenoaks are significantly larger and
better located than ALNO's previous building in Westerham, which reflects
the business' growth. The company has recruited additional staff in
recent months to ensure standards remain at the highest level.
The location, close to junctions 4 and 5 of the M25, facilitates easy
access to customer sites throughout the region.
ALNO at Sevenoaks and ALNO Southern Contracts can be found at Units
1 & 2, North Downs Business Park, Pilgrims Way, Dunton Green, Sevenoaks,
Kent, TN13 2TL. Telephone 01732 464600.
http://www.alno.co.uk