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Premium Appliance Brands Turns Up the Heat

Warrington-based kitchen appliance designer and manufacturer, Premium Appliance Brands, has announced an impressive £20.8m turnover in its fourth year as market challengers to the white goods sector.

Co-owner and managing director, Guy Weaver, who takes up his new post of chief executive this week, is excited about the prospects for the business, ‘The team has worked particularly hard over the last twelve months and we've been rewarded with fantastic financial results.’

A new board of directors has also been appointed consisting of five of PAB's key management figures who've been instrumental in the business' success; Marketing Services Director, Tara Holt, Product Marketing Director, Christa Lucas, Financial Director, Janet Eastwood, Commercial Director, Mike Goulding and Company Secretary, Jayne Weaver. PAB's staff numbers have also increased immensely and the company now has 40 employees, with further positions still available.

Peter Brazier, co-owner and new managing director of Premium Appliance Brands, adds, ‘The company's financial results have been a fantastic indicator of its success year on year as it has doubled its turnover in each of its trading years. PAB recorded figures of £3.05m in 2003, £5.63m in 2004, £11.3m in 2005 and now £20.8m in 2006 and because of this rapid growth we felt that it was time to take the company to the next level. The restructure gives Guy and I more time to focus on the strategic side of the business, giving us more time to spend with our major customers, whilst it allows our senior managers the chance to progress their careers and take over the day-to-day running of Premium Appliance Brands.

‘This really is just the beginning for the company. In just four years we have grown the business to a £20m turnover, a strong workforce of 40 staff and a comprehensive portfolio of products and brands. With the support of the new company structure, over the next five years, we aim to treble turnover in order to establish Premium Appliance Brands as one of the UK's leading appliance suppliers.’

Franke Sinks and Taps on Planit Software

Planit International is now featuring a selection of Franke sink and tap models on its kitchen design software – adding another dimension to its ability to produce realistic visuals for customers.

Twenty of the most popular models from the leading manufacturer of kitchen solutions, will be available as CAD images on Planit software, allowing professional designers specifying the company’s products, to create photo-realistic room sets.

'We welcome the addition of Franke sinks and taps to our design software because extending the range of manufacturers’ products available as CAD images serves to enhance the overall presentation experience for customers,' says Alastair McPheat, managing director of Planit International. 'This, in turn, increases sales opportunities for the retailer.'

Franke CAD images on Planit software include models from the Mythos sink and tap range – popular with designers for its sleek geometric lines – and products from the Kubus range of sinks and taps, featuring two new Fragranite undermount models: the KBG 110 34 and the KBG 110 50.

'Functionality is crucial to any kitchen design but so is style,' comments John Swain, product manager for Franke UK. 'This is a philosophy that Franke demonstrates in its product designs and one that Planit adopts by working with the world’s leading kitchen product manufacturers to ensure its software delivers the accuracy that modern designers demand.'

Detailed specifications, codes and pricing structures from a range of kitchen design and appliance product catalogues, can also be acquired from Planit International – providing the reassurance that room layouts are based on accurate data supplied by manufacturers.

For more information or to find out how to upgrade your current Franke Selection UK data file to the new graphics catalogue, please contact the Planit Support team on +44 (0) 1233 635533 or email uksupport@planit.com.

Web: http://www.planitsoftware.com

Built in Bonus for Siemens Appliances

Following the success of similar online promotions, Siemens this week launched another Purecard promotion to reward its loyal dealers for sales of any combination of three or more Built in appliances.

For a limited 12-week period from 7th May to 29th July 2007 inclusive, individual sales of Siemens built in appliances will be eligible for cash rewards in an online credit promotion for the company's built in appliance range. In total, over 160 Siemens built in appliances for cooking, cooling, dishwashing and laundry are featured in this promotion.

The cash rewards are offered online at http://www.purecard.co.uk via a personalised debit card, called a 'purecard'. Participants can check their credit balance online at any time of the day or night simply by logging onto the site and using his or her own unique password to access this information.

Varying cash rewards of between £25 and £100 are on offer to reward dealers for individual sales of Siemens built in appliances during the promotional period. For example, by selling a single or double cavity range cooker, the dealer would receive £50 credit 'cash back'.

Every dealer receives their own purecard credit card to which cash is credited each time a relevant sale is registered. Each claim must include at least three Siemens built in appliances sold to the same customer - one of which must be an oven or compact oven - plus any other two appliances from the range. In addition, there is a bonus of £50 offered for five appliances in one transaction.

The Pure card credit card is a gateway to shopping at over 25 top high street stores such as Boots, B&Q, Marks & Spencer, House of Fraser, Next, Sainsbury's, PC World, Currys and W.H. Smith. Dealers can use the card in store or they can order vouchers by phone for participating retail outlets.

Full details of the Pure card and of all the participating stores can be found on the 12-page explanatory leaflet prepared by Siemens for the promotion.

Comments Siemens Brand Manager, Jane Massey: ‘The purecard promotion has already struck a chord with our dealers on the freestanding ranges but this is the first time we have applied it to our built in business as well. We are confident that it will be as popular as it has been on previous occasions, as it gives them a tangible incentive to sell across, as well as up, the built in range’

Web: http://www.siemensappliances.co.uk

Althea Bathrooms - First Choice for Firstmove

Firstmove Developments Ltd was established in Chesham, Buckinghamshire in 2002 and is the latest of many new homes builders to select Italian bathroom products from specialist importer and distributor, Althea UK Ltd.

Firstmove originally developed affordable apartments for first time buyers and young people, the success of which has led to the company concentrating on building more bespoke properties in the most desirable locations. Four up-market developments are currently in various stages of completion.

Althea is supplying complete bathrooms to Firstmove's latest Ealing development, which comprises twelve very highly specified, £1.5 million, five bedroom, four bathroom townhouses.

‘The Althea product range combines elegance, innovation and quality with a unique Italian flair for design simplicity, adding real eye-appeal to new home bathrooms when potential purchasers are viewing, yet prices are surprisingly competitive,’ says Barbara Holmes, National Sales Manager.

Lee Hancock, Firstmove's Marketing Manager, is delighted with Althea's products, prices & service and said:

‘Althea products are of the highest quality, reflect well in terms of design on today's market and offer great value for money. I would recommend Althea UK to housebuilders of all sizes’

Further Information: Barbara Holmes, National Sales Manager
Tel: 01924 43952
Email: barbara@altheauk.com

Coram Enters the Retail Market

Coram Showers has launched Acora, a new retail range of shower enclosures and bath screens that combine elegant, contemporary design with smooth operation and watertight performance to achieve a balance of style, luxury and functionality.

There are six contemporary enclosure designs in the Acora range, which include the bow front, the walk-in, the crescent, the frameless hinged door, the pentagon and the bi-fold. Designed to offer a spacious and luxurious showering experience, each of these enclosures is manufactured using 6mm safety glass, the edges of which are rounded and polished. Both chrome and white frame options are available within the range and every design features chrome finished solid metal handles.

The Acora range also offers two durable, easy clean shower tray options, the slim-line Waterguard shower tray and the standard Waterguard shower tray. The slim-line tray, which requires plumbing connections to be recessed into the floor, features a contemporary elliptical design and a 90mm chrome domed trap. For use in solid floor bathrooms, the standard Waterguard tray, which features a 50mm chrome domed trap, enables the plumbing connections to be concealed beneath the tray.

The combination of an Acora enclosure and tray provides a stylish, high performance showering area, which is so effective at preventing leaks that Coram offers a watertight lifetime guarantee.

In addition to the enclosures and trays, the Acora range includes a selection of completely leak free bath screens, which are manufactured using toughened safety glass and, like the enclosures, are available in both chrome and white finish options. The range includes the sail shape screen, which has the option of an extra fixed panel to provide added protection against leaks with power showers, the folding screen, which remains rigid while in use, but can be neatly folded away, and the curved screen, a classic design that complements any style of bathroom.

Peter Dimeloe, managing director of Coram Showers, commented: 'Coram has been designing and manufacturing marketing leading enclosures, trays and bath screens to meet the very specific needs of the UK trade for many years, so transferring our advanced manufacturing capability and technological expertise to a retail range has been a natural progression.

'The Acora range has been designed to combine the contemporary styling and luxurious finish that consumers expect, with the quality, durability, ease of installation and watertight performance that installers, architects and housebuilders expect. The result is a range of elegant, high performance, professional products that set a new standard for the retail market.'

Coram Showers specialises in the design and manufacture of shower enclosures, shower pods, shower trays and bath screens. The company’s current range includes the Premier and Optima ranges of shower enclosures, Waterguard Showertrays, a range of bath screens and the new retail range, Acora. Designed for fast and easy installation, as well as watertight performance, all Coram products are manufactured at the company’s Bridgnorth factory in Shropshire and enclosures are power shower tested to BS 6340 against leakage.

For more information on Coram’s new Acora range or to request a brochure, contact Coram on: 01746 713400.

REHAU On-Line Ordering Helps Morris Furniture

The Morris Furniture Group, which uses REHAU as its main supplier of edgeband for its Office and Homestyle Kitchen divisions, has switched to on-line ordering via the new REHAU customer portal accessed from the company's website at http://www.rehau.co.uk

Previously, Morris used to e-mail or fax order call offs to REHAU's Glasgow sales offices where they were processed and then actioned. Morris has its own edgeband stockholding at REHAU's Manchester warehouse so quantities are simply called off as required.

However, now that Morris is using the portal, call-off orders go direct to Manchester - speeding up delivery and reducing administration.

Neil Robertson, a Buyer at The Morris Furniture Group, has responded very positively to the new initiative.

He says: ‘We have always enjoyed a good relationship with REHAU and were pleased to be chosen as one of the first furniture customers to benefit from the new on-line ordering facility.

We are delighted with the performance of the system so far. It is tailored to our own requirements with our own favourites menu, prices and real-time stockholding information and is very user-friendly.’

REHAU says the facility can easily be extended to allow Morris to order additional REHAU products for other Morris divisions and it can be utilised by all REHAU's furniture customers, regardless of whether they have their own stockholding.

Easa’s Evo Announced Product of the Year at NAIDEX 2007

Northern Ireland based accessible showering manufacturing company EASA has been awarded the NAIDEX 2007 Product of the Year Award at the UK’s number one event for homecare, disability and rehabilitation for its design-led range of accessible shower units, EVO at the NEC in Birmingham.
 
The award was voted for by over 600 exhibition attendees, who visited the show in April this year. Seventy five products were entered into the Product of the Year  Award, but Evo was widely recognised as the attendee favourite after the show visitors voted it to be the 2007 NAIDEX Product of the Year. Easa representatives Richard Matthews, Niki Turner, Olivia Clarke and Stuart Greer were presented with the award by Jon Squire and Joanne Smith from Emap Events, the organisers of NAIDEX.
 
Sales Manager, Richard Matthews stated, 'We are very proud to be receiving this award. It really is a credit to the entire team which has been working on the product for over two years.'
 
Evo represents an evolution towards more design-led products for accessible showering and the company agrees that disabled people rightly demand more choice. Easa’s in-house healthcare professional Olivia Clarke stated, 'A bathroom adaptation is a major structural change and everyone expects a choice of style that integrates easily into the modern home.  For people with disability it is essential that products which enhance their lives are functional, but also of good design and taste.  At Easa we have achieved a combination of both with our clients needs uppermost in mind.'
 
Sales Manager Richard Matthews added, 'The Evo system along with our Essence range have combined to create a choice for the customer which was previously unavailable. It is this unique choice for customers which has successfully generated worldwide interest.'
 
Easa will begin distributing Evo through the company'swide network of retailers throughout the UK and Ireland from May 2007.
Web: www.easagroup.com

Cooking Up a Treat to Celebrate 20th Anniversary

American Appliances will be serving up an Open Day treat on May 12th when the company celebrates its 20th anniversary with some of the finest chefs and wine experts around at its showroom in Woodford Green, Essex.

American Appliances, which has offered high quality kitchen goods since 1987, will not only mark the occasion with classic American cars, flags and a Jazz band but is also giving away a Britannia Range Cooker, Admiral American Style Fridge Freezer and a Falcon Wine Cooler in the company’s free raffle.

Customers can taste the finest foods from starters to desserts when American Appliances chefs do battle in the anniversary cook off while representatives from well known brands such as Britannia and Falcon will be giving informative demonstrations about their appliances.

The day will also enable customers to take advantage of genuine discounts and special anniversary offers on top named kitchen brands such as Admiral, Maytag, Amana, Miele, Neff, Bosch and Britannia.

American Appliances owner, Craig Davis, is looking forward to a great day out for all the family:

‘It's a great feeling to be celebrating our 20th anniversary and we want to make it a day to remember for all our customers and staff.’

The American Appliances Open Day runs from 10pm-3pm at the company’s showroom in Woodford Green in Essex.

For more information on American Appliances log on to the website at http://www.american-appliance.co.uk. Alternatively customers can call the sales team on 0208 5055616 for a full list of special offers available on the day.

BCGM's New Returns Policy and Customer Charter

Broughton Crangrove Galley Matrix (BCGM) is committed to service excellence. Since the appointment of Simon Macklin, Customer Service Director, BCGM has set the benchmark for service in the distribution industry.

Committed to making life easier for the retailer, the company's new Customer Returns Policy introduces a 'no restocking charge' policy for unwanted, undamaged or correctly returned goods. ‘We are totally committed to continuous improvement and this new policy will make doing business with us even easier,’ explains Simon Macklin. All the Contact Team is fully trained in handling returns effectively and efficiently, minimising the time and process for the retailer.

BCGM has also introduced a Customer Charter in support of the company's initiative 'Excellence through Service and Availability'.

The company's five distribution centres, combined with its fleet of over 70 delivery vehicles provide reliable and on time, next day deliveries. According to Simon Macklin: ‘Detailed monitoring and tracking of performance are key to improving service.’ Detailed service reviews are scheduled daily with representatives from all BCGM sites, analysing customer service issues from the last 24-hours. Every problem is discussed, cause identified and corrective action implemented.
Incorporating the results from our customer satisfaction surveys this drives new service improvement initiatives, strengthening our offer and demonstrating our total commitment to our customers.’

The company's friendly and knowledgeable team is being continually developed through a major investment in processes, systems and training. Product-focused teams have been created in the Contact Centre with specialist 'champions' designated for each brand. And for customers who wish to recognise outstanding performance they can nominate a 'Customer Hero' for those who have gone beyond the call of duty in serving customers.

Jay Acharya, the company's new Service and Product Training Manager is not only dedicated to training in-house teams but customers too. He comments: ‘It's not just a sales thing, training benefits everyone across the business. The launch of the Customer Charter promotes a shared understanding of what we are trying to achieve as an organisation and serves as a useful tool to target our training efforts.’

Simon concludes: ‘Customer expectations have never been higher and we are passionate about continually developing our service delivery capability. The launch of these new initiatives is a demonstration to the market place that we seek to maintain the lead in the area of 'Excellence through Service and Availability.’

For further information on Broughton Crangrove Galley Matrix new initiatives in Customer Service call your Area Sales Manager or the Contact Centre on 0870 60 60 601.

Clearwater Collection Wins Contract in Middle East

Freestanding bath manufacturer Clearwater Collection has won another major contract in the Middle East, to supply the first three phases of a luxurious villa project in Abu Dhabi.

Clearwater will supply the Al Raha Gardens - the largest villa development in the state - with a number of its popular Nouveau and Emperor freestanding baths.
The Al Raha Gardens is the first development in Abu Dhabi to be offered for sale to non-nationals and every villa was sold within 15 minutes.

Darren Allison, managing director of Clearwater Collection comments: ‘This is another fantastic export contract for Clearwater. Our baths are very popular in the Middle East and we have many more possible contracts in the pipeline.’

Clearwater Collection specialises in the manufacture of double-skin acrylic freestanding baths and prides itself on the superb quality of its baths along with the vast range of designs it offers, covering both traditional and contemporary styles.

The company exports to 25 countries and has recently announced a significant deal with a major American company. Americh Corp is a well-respected private company that has been established in the USA since 1982 and has become the exclusive importer and distributor for Clearwater Collection Ltd in North America.

Clearwater Collection has also become the exclusive importer and distributor of Americh products in a number of its export markets.

All Clearwater products feature the distinctive Clearwater badge, which serves as a hallmark of excellence, and come with a lifetime guarantee. Clearwater Collection recently achieved the internationally recognised quality accreditation ISO 9001.

Tel: 01274 738140
Email: enquiries@clearwater-collection.com
Web: http://www.clearwater-collection.com

Electrolux Looks for Green Solutions for the year 2020

Electrolux Design Lab 2007, for its fifth annual competition, invites design students from around the world to present solutions for the home of the future. This year's task is to come up with ideas for eco-friendly and sustainable household appliances and solutions for 2020.

Electrolux, one of the world's leaders in innovative cooking and cleaning solutions for the home, once again is encouraging students across the globe to fire up their creative juices and design household appliances for the future.

This year's requirement is that submissions be environmentally-sound, commercially-viable and enable people to better live in harmony with the environment. The goal is to go above and beyond simple energy and water efficiency and suggest ways to foster sustainable behavior and product usage.

'We see this competition as one way Electrolux can involve the creativity of young people and get them to focus on global climate change that will affect us all,' says Hans Stråberg, Electrolux President and CEO.

Over the years thousands of students have participated in Electrolux's Design Lab global competition that has culminated in a series of international workshops at the finals, which previously have taken place in
Budapest, New York, Stockholm and Barcelona. The location for this year's Design Lab event is Paris.

'Design is at the heart of the Electrolux brand,' says Henrik Otto, Senior Vice President - Global Design. 'I'm excited that this year's competition will bring us some innovative sustainability ideas. We will use the best ideas when developing new products. And who knows? What's impossible to manufacture today might be possible in 2020.'

The Design Lab 2007 has a First Prize of 5,000 euros and a six-month internship at one of the Electrolux global design centers. An international jury will judge the entries based on intuitive design, innovation, consumer insight, and the ability to promote sustainable development for the future.

Entries must be submitted by August 1, 2007, via the Internet at www.ElectroluxDesignLab.com. A limited number of finalists will be chosen by the end of September. They will be invited to Paris to make a final
presentation to the jury in late November, after which the winner will be announced and the prizes awarded.

Global OEM Corporation

Mike Campbell (pictured) European Commercial Director for Global OEM Corporation considers the developing Asian approach to the UK bathroom product market.

Unless you have been on a desert island for the last few years, you can not have failed to experience the ever increasing amount of Chinese manufactured goods that have been entering into all markets across the UK and in fact the Globe, who could have missed the ‘Bra Wars’ headlines of the last few months.

It is evident that all suppliers in all markets have to look for more economical sources of supply in order to remain competitive and China has not been slow to recognise and adapt to these needs.

In our industry it has been European manufactures and distributors that have driven their way into Asia to develop factories to produce the goods that were once manufactured in their own factories. With a relatively low cost base and a readily available work force, China has proved to be a very lucrative opportunity from which European manufacturers have not been slow to capitalise.

However, Chinese factories have grown rapidly and management knowledge of world markets has also grown as it has become easier for these manager/owners to visit the actual markets for which they are producing their goods. It is evident that some of the forward thinking factories are already establishing trading offices within their target markets; and Europe will prove to be no exception to these factories looking to gain greater control of their own destiny. The recent acquisition of PJH by Globe Union is a perfect example.

Global OEM Corporation, a $multi-Million, turnover Chicago based manufacturer with production facilities in both Taiwan and China, has already established a successful model of supplying the American DIY and Builders Merchant distribution market from its factories in Asia. And we are now turning our attention to firstly the UK and then into Europe.

Mike Campbell ‘who has been recruited to establish the European Division of Global OEM Corporation, stated’; ‘the model is fool proof; provide effective customer service support, pro-active sales & marketing personnel, and trouble free importing and distribution systems into the country which you are focusing on. Ensure English speaking teams are on site and ensure communication is conducted in the same working timeframes as your customers and the headaches normally associated with dealing in Asia are already disappearing. Input American and Japanese driven QA systems into the factory and finally back this up with the competitive prices you would expect to receive when dealing in Asia and you are beginning to look head and shoulders above the competition. Equally important to all of this is to clearly define and communicate with your target customers that your intention to be their partner and not their competitor and the model looks to have a very solid foundation upon which to establish a business partnership’.

Our American model has proved extremely successful during these last few years and we are now expanding our markets in Australia, Japan and the UK, along with this we are already well down the route of supply negotiations with some of the premier German brands and we hope to be able to report successes in the very near future.

Our business strategy is clear - we have a major resource in Asia; Very large factories in Ningbo, China and Taichung, Taiwan, our Quality Assurance Systems, expertise and production capacity are all available to support our partnerships for the future; and we are looking to develop those partnerships here in the UK with speed and efficiency, providing manufacturing solutions for those OEMs and Brand distributors who wish to work and develop with us.

If you would like to know more about the products and services available from Global OEM Corporation - please email Mike Campbell on - mcampbell@globaltechmfg.com. Alternatively call Mike directly on - +44 7889 362922.