KBzine: the original kitchen and bathroom industry e-news - since 2002
26th September 2014
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 International News
Products Latest: Bathroom Manufacturers Association strengthens team... Crosswater Cucina gets dedicated team... Andy Vaughan moves on from kbb Birmingham... A fond farewell to John Brunton, Hansgrohe's Pioneering Project Manager... Wirquin sales team expands to meet customer demand across UK and Ireland... Insinkerator appoints new Marketing Manager, Europe... Promotion and appointment at Lakes Bathrooms... Whirlpool appoints new head of marketing... New Chief Executive sets sights on growth at TrustMark... New striking 'shower temple' from Belle epoque brand, Arcade
Arcade includes beautiful ceramic sanitary ware, free-standing baths and stunning showering masterpieces. Every piece is hand finished with exceptional care using the finest materials and manufacturing process. A nickel finish is used throughout all brassware, fittings and accessories within the Arcade range, completing the luxury concept and setting the range apart, as the most acclaimed in bathroom styling.
A great retailer opportunity to display great value Abode designer taps
This promotion runs for a three month period from 1st October through to the end of December 2014 and is outlined on a promotional flyer as well as through the Abode e-marketing campaign.  See Amica at IFA from today until 10th September
Orion; Sensio's new rechargeable LED under bed light
Enhancing both the functionality and aesthetics of any bedroom, Orion fits seamlessly beneath the bed, illuminating the area, whilst also transforming the bed into a focal point in the room. The discreet fitting can also be positioned inside cabinets, or under cabinets to create a floating effect and illuminate the floor in a kitchen or a bedroom. Innovation at the lightest of touches with Geberit Sigma70
Making activation of the flush almost effortless for the user, the new Geberit Sigma70 flush plate is the latest innovation in the best-selling Geberit Sigma range, which includes an extensive range of flush plates and the Duofix range of framing systems and concealed cisterns for wall-hung WCs, with 8cm, 12cm and corner options to suit any situation. Smeg collaborates with innovative pop-up 'London in the Sky'
Inclusive bathroom design looks set to grow
Well-designed, accessible concepts are becoming increasingly important as a result of this demographic change. |
The KBSA (Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialists Association) held its annual bash this week and sadly, due to other commitments and a rotten cold and sore throat, I was unable to attend. As a strong supporter of everything industry associations stand for and the professionalism these groups bring to any industry, I was keen to include news of the event in today’s issue, if I could. Two post-event press releases arrived early yesterday morning so these were the two I edited first, to ensure that they made it onto this page. Unbeknown to me though, that was just the beginning and they kept on coming (a bit like the owls in the first Harry Potter movie, if you’ve seen it?). Well – I thought I was a fast typist but it seemed that no sooner had I finished editing one, Ruth Ward at the KBSA office had sent another, and so it continued throughout the day until Ruth assured me at about 22.00 last night that she was stopping work. So… sorry there are so many of them but had I been a little less woolly-headed I’d have run them in the same piece and made a bit more of a feature out of them. It’s all interesting stuff though (my congratulations to the award winners!) and I’ve included extra non-KBSA information to provide some balance to the issue. One of the non-KBSA items, reports on a survey into what features would make it onto people’s wish-lists when it came to creating a luxury bathroom and apparently ‘Rainfall Showers’ and ‘Standalone Baths’ made it into the top slots. For me, it would be having someone carry on with my work for me and answer the phone while I was wallowing in my luxury bathroom, someone to pay the water heating bills and yes – you’ve probably guessed where I’m going with this… someone to clean the bathroom after I’ve finished in there! Having finally had my roof done, my wish for a non-leaking bathroom (now that’s an anomaly – they normally leak outwards, don’t they?) would no longer be on my list. A new bathroom is though, and I can’t wait to start choosing! Mmmm… a rainfall shower does sound rather inviting…
Yours,
 This Week's News
KBSA AGM and National Meeting breaks records The Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialists Association has said that this year's AGM, National Meeting and Networking Dinner were their most successful since the start of the recession. Attended by over 40 retailers and almost 30 corporates, the event attracted almost 120 delegates.
Following the formal business, there were updates from some of the KBSA officers on the market opportunities for members, as well as from Renee Mascari, CEO of the kbbNTG, who updated the meeting on the new Foundation Degree Course which started this month. KBSA announces 'Excellence Award' winners
The Customer Service Award for 2014 was won by retailer member, Rooms Kitchen Specialists, of Mottingham, a member for 28 years, while the runner-up was Gordon Busbridge Furniture of St Leonards on Sea - a member for 23 years. Diane Berry Kitchens wins 2014 KBSA Designer Awards
The judges described her entry as "delivering the brief perfectly in a stunning and contemporary way, and with fabulous taps"! Kitchen Concept winner announced in 2014 KBSA Designer Awards
The judges commented that Karen's was an excellent design they rated highly, and noted the mirror splashbacks as an unusual feature. Using a mix of mid and tall units was not intimidating, but allowed Karen the opportunity to express her design skills to the full. Denby Kitchens wins 2014 KBSA Designer Awards
The judges said of Barry’s winning entry that it “displayed beautiful workmanship and a brilliant interpretation of the client’s brief” - and further, that “the bathroom would be a real pleasure to use”. Young designer stars in KBSA Designer Awards
Rebecca was highly commended for her entry in the Kitchen Designer of the Year category, but her entry was judged 'best in class' when it was submitted for the Young Designer category. Supplier Awards winners anncounced The now traditional Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialists Association Supplier Awards were announced at the 2014 KBB Review Kitchen Conference this week, and again, KBSA members voted for those suppliers that they thought had excelled in their service to them in 2013/14.
Members voted 'Product Supplier of the Year' to built-in appliance specialist Neff - the third time Neff has been voted 'best in class.' The BlancoAttika sink... perfect for the design-focused kitchen
The high-rim surround ensures water remains in the sink and draining areas. The drainer is also slightly lowered at 35mm so it can act as a preparation area as well as a draining board. A walnut-compound food board is available which fits neatly in the draining area creating more space to chop vegetables. Alternatively, the food board can connect to both the sink and drainer creating more space to prepare food easily. New research conducted by an online bathroom retailer in the UK has revealed the top desirable wish list bathroom features which create the most luxurious bathroom environments.
'Rainfall shower', 'standalone bath' and 'underfloor heating' emerged as the top three, leading the way on the luxurious British bathroom wish list. The survey also found that less than a quarter (23%) of respondents had any of these features in their own home. Superb screens from Ben de Lisi
American fashion and interiors designer, Ben de Lisi, has created beautiful shower and bath screen solutions which are now available to buy at Abacus Manufacturing Group via www.ben-de-lisi.com LDL Components scoops Entrepreneur Award
Matthew Lord, LDL's Managing Director, received the award on behalf of the company from Alistair McGowan at the National Entrepreneur Convention, held at the International Convention Centre, Birmingham, this week. Max-Top gets beyond the surface in new installation video
The recently launched, modular quartz product, features a patented interior honeycomb structure (which offers 100% moisture protection) that means the surfaces are incredibly lightweight. Master Series huge success for Bertazzoni
Jacqui Hoctor, commercial manager for Britannia Living - the manufacturer's UK distributor, comments: "While sales have grown across the board since launch, the Master Series has really taken the market by storm. One in four UK businesses think their marketing isn't performing Almost a quarter (24%) of UK based businesses believe that their marketing isn't performing as it should be, with a third of these (33%) complaining that the difficulty of making an impact with the advertising they do, is the biggest barrier to success.
The report was put together from the results of studies into the corporate marketing strategies of 300 UK organisations. Respondents to the study were drawn from a diverse mix of businesses, both B2B and B2C, which spanned multiple industry sectors.
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