Accent
Kitchens Shine at Industry 'Oscars'
Two
prestigious Yorkshire housing developments have picked up top industry
awards with the help of Accent Kitchens UK.
Lister Mills, developed by Urban Splash, in Bradford, and Oakapple Homes’
Oliver Heights, in Scarborough, which both feature Accent kitchen designs,
were honoured at the Resi Prop (Residential Property) Awards 2006.
The Oliver Heights development incorporated the Accent range for its
first phase of 67 dwellings and won the award for Best Transformation
of the Year at the ceremony at the Queen’s Hotel in Leeds.
Best Conversion/Restoration of an historic building award was presented
to Urban Splash for The Silk Warehouse, at Lister Mills, which is the
first phase of a major redevelopment of the Lister Mills complex. Accent
Kitchens UK designed and supplied bespoke handle-free kitchens, including
Smeg appliances and LG-HI mac worktops for the first phase of 133 apartments,
ranging from one-bed studios to Penthouses.
Accent Kitchens UK, part of the Arnold Laver Group, also featured in
six other developments nominated for Resi Prop awards.
Kitchen creations…Accent Kitchens UK’s
bespoke kitchen designs fitted at the Lister Mills development, in Bradford.
Andy
Robinson, National Sales Manager at Arnold Laver Contract Kitchens Division,
said: 'The Resi Prop Awards are considered as the Oscars of the residential
property industry so it is a real honour to be involved with many of
the winning and nominated projects.
'Whether developers were converting old mills into top of the range
apartments, or building new homes, we were able to offer bespoke designs
and kitchens of the highest quality.
'Accent Kitchens UK provide a first class service to the contracts market
– from the initial planning and design stages through to supply
and installation – and these awards highlight our continued commitment
to flexibility and attention to detail.'
Yorkshire’s Resi Prop awards were launched in 2004 to celebrate
the success of the region’s residential development sector, best
new build homes, their developers and designers.
The award ceremony, hosted by Yorkshire Variety Club to raise money
for their Children’s Charity, was this year presented by Calendar’s
Christine Talbot.
Over the past three years, the event has raised over £250,000
for disabled and disadvantaged children in Yorkshire.
For more information about Accent Kitchens UK call 01274 230865, email
sales@accentkitchensuk.com
or visit http://www.accentkitchensuk.com.
Green
Light to Enter National Recycling Awards 2006
Green
businesses, organisations and individuals who have gone the extra mile
to reduce waste and improve recycling rates in the past 18 months are
being urged to enter the National Recycling
Awards 2006.
Now in their eighth year, the National Recycling Awards organised by
Materials Recycling Week are widely recognised as the stamp of excellence
in the recycling industry. They are open to any organisation, community
group or company that is affected by recycling, plays an active part
in the recycling process or is involved in the production chain of recycled
products. Winners will be presented with their awards at a glamorous
black-tie awards ceremony to be held at the Bournemouth International
Centre on 15th November 2006.
This year a new category has been added - Electrical and Electronic
Recycler of the Year - to reflect the increasing legislative importance
of the re-use, reprocessing and recycling of electrical goods. It is
open to all aspects of the supply chain from manufacturers and reprocessors
to local authorities and community groups. A wide range of other categories
are available to reward retail recycling initiatives, commitment to
health and safety, local authority achievements, innovative community
projects, successful information campaigns and unsung heroes of the
recycling world.
Entries to all 13 categories should cover the period 1st January 2005
to 25th August 2006. Entry guidelines can be found on http://www.nationalrecyclingawards.com
and the closing date for entries is 25th August 2006 (although nominations
for the Lifetime Achievement Award will be accepted until 7th September
2006).
Jane Rayner, chair of the judges and group editor for Materials Recycling
Week said: 'The Awards are aimed at rewarding good practice and creativity,
as well as developing a network of people who can provide advice to
others who may be adopting similar initiatives. Past winners have been
contacted frequently by others keen to gain their knowledge on specific
projects, and have found that the recognition of winning a National
Recycling Award has helped in attaining funding for future development
and winning tenders, as well as providing a well-earned boost to staff.'
The entries will be judged in September by a panel of industry professionals
including Lee Marshall, chairman, Local Authority Recycling Advisory
Committee; Dr Jane Gilbert, chief executive, Composting Association;
Andrew Braund, head of health and safety, Confederation of Paper Industries;
Trevor Hay, inspector, waste management and recycling section, Health
and Safety Executive; Cam Matheson, project manager, East London Community
Recycling Partnership and Michael Philpott, president, Chartered Institution
of Wastes Management. A list of nominees for the Lifetime Achievement
Award will be posted on 11th September and the winners will be voted
for by readers of MRW and http://www.mrw.co.uk
Winners of the National Recycling Awards 2005 included two high street
retailers, a prison and a foundry, as well as a number of local authorities,
community and charitable organisations who played an important role
in helping the UK to recycle more and reduce its dependence on landfill.
EnviroSystems received the award for Recycled Product of the Year 2005,
for the animal bedding material it developed using recycled by-product
from paper mills. Elizabeth Russell, managing director of EnviroSystems,
said: 'The award has given our company a much higher profile because
the media has been willing to tell the general public about us. In reaching
the general public we have extended our market outside farming and animal
bedding.'
Pippa Milne, recycling and waste manager for Leeds City Council, winner
of the 2005 award for Recycling Target Success said: 'Being able to
say that our performance has been acknowledged by the industry carries
far more weight than anything we could say about ourselves. I certainly
tell people whenever I have the opportunity.'
Whether you have developed a safe and innovative process to recycle
waste, helped to create an end market for recycled products or introduced
a system to reduce waste in the workplace, the National Recycling Awards
provide the perfect opportunity to shout about your achievements and
encourage others to make a difference. For more information please visit
http://www.nationalrecyclingawards.com
The National Recycling Awards 2006 are sponsored by Cleanaway, Grosvenor,
REPIC, Valpak, Veolia Environmental Services, Viridor and http://www.mrw.co.uk
KBSA
Retailer Excellence Award Finalists Announced
The
KBSA has announced the three finalists
selected for the 2006 Retailer Excellence Award. The finalists for this
award are chosen by the retailers' own customers who submit an evaluation
of the service they have received as part of the KBSA's regular vetting
procedures.
The three finalists are Mr William Hodgson, Elite Interiors, Stanley,
County Durham, Mr Keith Ferries, Ferries Kitchens Ltd, Tain, Highland
and Mr Val Tolhurst, Kitchen Sense of Harleston, Norfolk.
‘These retailers all received excellent feedback from their customers
and have illustrated the best standards of customer service. We wish
them all well and look forward to announcing the winner at the Design
Innovation Awards ceremony on July 6th,’ says KBSA Operations Manager
Lucinda Kenny.
One of last year's finalists benefited from an increase in business,
thanks to the publicity they received from last year's awards. Tom Ireland
of Kestrel Kitchens, based in South Yorkshire, arranged an advertising
campaign in the local press and the Yellow Pages following his award's
success, and has reaped the rewards with a significant increase in sales
since the campaign.
The KBSA Design Innovation Awards 2006 include the following categories:
* Kitchen Design Award
* New Kitchen Designer Award
* Bathroom Design Award
* Bedroom Design Award
* KBSA Retailer Excellence Award
* KBSA Supplier Excellence Award
The awards ceremony will take place at the Radisson SAS Hotel at Stansted
Airport on Thursday July 6th.
Double
Win for Heritage at Yorkshire Productivity Awards
Heritage
Bathrooms once again picked up two awards for best practice
in manufacturing at Yorkshire's most prestigious industry awards.
For the second year running, Yorkshire-based manufacturing arm of Heritage
Bathrooms has received double recognition for its strong commitment
to the training and support of its workforce. At the Yorkshire Productivity
Awards ceremony held at the Metropole Hotel in Leeds recently, the company
was presented with two awards - one Highly Commended award for Most
Successful NVQ Training SME and an another award for Best Skills for
Life Intervention SME, for which Heritage was announced the winner.
These
two awards follow hot on the tail of last years' success, when Heritage
team leader Ronnie Moscrop won the Individual Award SME and the company
as a whole received a Highly Commended award in the Best Payback SME
category.
The Yorkshire Productivity Awards is an annual event organised by The
Virtual College, an Ilkley-based training company where Heritage employees
work to gain NVQ Level II qualification in Business Improvement Techniques.
In the past year, 16 of Heritage's employees successfully achieved this
qualification. Winning two awards at the event for the second year running,
reinforces Heritage's commitment to providing on-going support and training
for all of its staff. Alistair Gladstone, Business Development Manager
at Yorkshire Productivity, comments: ‘Training is at the heart
of maintaining the UK's position at the forefront of this increasingly
competitive sector. It is a pleasure to be able to reward companies
like Heritage, that have used Yorkshire Productivity's training programmes
to develop their staff and increase their efficiencies.’
Tel: 0117 9633333
Web: http://www.heritagebathrooms.com
International
Quality Standard for Clearwater Collection
Clearwater
Collection,
the manufacturer of luxury handmade freestanding acrylic baths in Europe,
has achieved the internationally recognised quality accreditation, ISO
9001.
The
company, which has grown considerably since its inception only 7 years
ago, now exports to 25 countries and has recently launched in the States
with Clearwater USA.
‘We are delighted to have achieved this internationally recognised
accreditation,’ says Darren Allison, managing director of Clearwater
Collection.
‘We have always been committed to excellence in everything that
we do, at every stage of the production process, all of our procedures
and all quality control and management systems have always been carefully
monitored and managed. This standard recognises this and tells everyone
that they are dealing with a company that takes quality seriously.
‘It will ensure that our growth is sustained and controlled and
ensure that we continue to meet the exacting demands of our customers.’
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. More than 40 different models are
available and 14 new models were recently launched at the industries
showcase exhibition, KBB2006.
All Clearwater products feature the distinctive Clearwater badge, which
serves as a hallmark of excellence, and come with a lifetime guarantee.
Tel: 01274 738140
Email: enquiries@clearwater-collection.com
Web: http://www.clearwater-collection.com
The
Franke Sorter Achieves Red Dot Award
The
Sorter waste management system from Franke
has recently achieved a Red Dot Award for design excellence.
Set up in 1955, the Red Dot Award recognises outstanding product design
and gives manufacturers the opportunity to use a recognisable quality
label on their award-winning products.
The Franke Sorter, which was one of the first under sink waste management
products to be launched in the UK, makes the recycling of household
waste convenient.
John Swain, product manager for Franke UK, commented: ‘In order
to encourage people to recycle their waste the process needs to be made
as simple as possible. The Sorter enables household waste to be easily
segregated and managed and we are delighted that this innovative product
has been recognised with a Red Dot Award.’
The hands-free KickMatic (700K) Sorter is operated by a touch of the
pedal and opens easily to give access to separated compartments. Franke
has also launched the Sorter Motion, which has a smooth closing action
(Blum motion).
An animation CD has been produced for Franke customers, which demonstrates
how the Sorter can be installed into a 500 or 600mm cabinet, taking
just 15 minutes.
For further information on Franke products, visit http://www.franke.co.uk
For more details about the Red Dot Awards, visit http://www.red-dot.de
Tel: 0161 436 6280
Email: john.swain@franke.co.uk
Blum
Receives Award for Product Design
The
new Blumotion controlled closing system for cabinet doors on the hinge
has won the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen ‘red dot’ Award.
Blumotion 973A, Blum's latest product that closes doors softly and silently,
convinced the jury in the ‘product design’ category and was
presented with the ‘red dot: best of the best’ award for top-quality
design. The additional endorsement ‘best of the best’ is given
to the best entry in each category.
Tried and tested ‘Clip top’ and ‘Clip’ hinges are
the basis for the innovation that perfects the motion of doors. Blumotion
973A is simply attached to the hinge without tools. Thanks to Blumotion
973A, Blum has proven that good design does not stop at furniture fronts
- furniture interiors can also be stunning eye-catchers. The design
was produced in collaboration with ‘form orange’, Wolfgang
Held, Götzis.
Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen has been presenting its famous ‘red
dot" for outstanding international product design since 1955. Manufacturers
and designers of various industrial products can apply for the much
sought-after ‘red dot award’ in eleven product groups throughout
the year. All in all, 2,068 entries from 41 countries were submitted
to Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen which presents the award for outstanding
design every year. Blum has received the prize for outstanding product
design several times.
Tel: 01908 285700
Web: http://www.blum.co.uk
Top
Design Awards for new Kermi Towel Radiators
Following
the European Product design award for Kermi's
top of the range Toca Shower Enclosure range last year the company has
announced two further awards for the new Credo Towel Radiators launched
at the recent KBB Exhibition.
The New Credo featuring clear geometric use of design with fully concealed
fixings. With respect to fuel efficiency and the ecology the New Credo
comes with fully integrated factory set thermostatic valve in perfect
blend with the overall design. The New Credo has won the European reddot
Design Award.
Additionally the New Credo Half with the same design features but open-ended
for easy towel placement has been awarded the ‘iF Product Design
Award 2006’ in further acknowledgment of the simple clean aesthetic
design.
Tel: 01536 446608
www.kermi.co.uk
Court
Homemakers Scoops PWS National Award
The
team at Court Homemakers in Teesside is celebrating after scooping PWS'
national award for Second Nature dealer of the year. Facing stiff competition
from over 70 PWS Second Nature dealers across the country, Courts rose
to the challenge, taking top honours as the only company to achieve
maximum marks in the assessment.
Independent auditors were commissioned to assess PWS' Second Nature
dealers on a number of key criteria, including branding, product and
retail environment. The auditor commended Courts for their highly attractive
displays, enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff, coupled with a relaxed
atmosphere.
A delighted Ian Goodwillie, Courts Managing Director said, ‘This
really is a testimony to the hard work and dedication of our staff.
Winning this award has instilled confidence and pride throughout the
company, we've celebrated with the team and thanked them for their valued
contribution and commitment. This latest accolade comes hot on the heels
of us winning a 'supplier of excellence award' from oil giant Conoco
Phillips and will further raise the profile of Court Homemakers in the
region'
Comments David McArthur, PWS' National Sales Manager, 'Winning this
award offers a great opportunity for Courts to demonstrate to its customers
and suppliers just how successful its business is. It is an independent
and prestigious endorsement of the quality of the company. Courts are
longstanding customers of PWS and as businesses we have grown together.
We are thrilled that Courts have excelled in the assessment'.
Courts began trading in 1988 and its reputation as a quality supplier
in the North East has developed with them. The company has been a KBSA
member for over a decade and Ian was regional chair for a number of
years and continues to take a keen interest in the work and development
of the trade body.
Ian Goodwillie accepted the award on behalf of all the staff at Court
Homemakers.
The picture shows from left to right; Andrew Langford
(PWS Marketing Manager), John Lennon (PWS Sales & Marketing Director),
Ian Goodwillie (Managing Director of Courts Homemakers), Adrian Jackson
(PWS Area Sales Manager) and David McArthur (PWS National Sales Manager).