KBzine: the original kitchen and bathroom industry e-news - since 2002
13th September 2013
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International News
Products Ellis Furniture launches latest designer colourways for its Spirit kitchen range
  World Water Week opens with a call for life-saving cooperation over water
Apollo combines raw materials and neutral hues to create some seasonal shutter style
Visiting Cersaie? Make sure you pay a visit to the House of British Ceramic Tile!
Volcanic bath erupts into UK market
Soapbox: World Water Week calls attention to growing need for clean water
Abode bathes with Mr & Mrs Smith
DEVI launches the next generation of underfloor heating
The DEVIflex works equally well beneath laminate, ceramic, stone, vinyl and carpet and, by removing the need for radiators, space is maximised. Correct specifying for heavy traffic tiling
First Roca Gallery in Asia set to open its doors in the heart of Shanghai
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, I am the smartest of them all!
No frosty reception for Polypipe's Domus Thermal at Scottish student housing
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Last Saturday, as part of my weekend estate agency job, I showed a family around an expensive house they were considering buying. Without even having seen the upstairs the husband examined the rather plush kitchen in detail, which isn’t normally how things are done, but as it gave me some real hands on experience of some of the things I write about in KBzine, I was happy to go with the flow. I loved the kitchen, which was full of the types of appliances I can only ever dream of owning. He wasn’t as impressed though, first complaining that the fridge freezer was integrated, saying than the one in the rented accommodation he’s currently in keeps breaking down as the airflow is insufficient and that this is a common problem with some integrated fridge freezers, (I’d love your comments on this please!). Then, reaching under the sink, he complained that the InSinkErator food waste disposer is an inferior model that the one he’s currently using and doesn’t ‘do bones’! My first thought was that he might be about to do away with his rather badly behaved child, but my second was one of indignation. Complain about an InSinkErator? He’s lucky to have one as it is! And whether such a device ‘does bones’ or not, it has to be infinitely better than scraping leftover food into old newspapers before wrapping it and taking it out to the kerbside collection box! Food waste disposers such as these divert around 20% of household waste away from landfill and have been judged to have a smaller carbon footprint than kerbside collection. They’re also much easier and more pleasant to use. I was most surprised to learn from a press release this week that they’ve been in manufacture for 75 years. Let’s hope that with landfill space being used up as quickly as it is, it won’t be another 75 years before every home has one – bone crushing model or not!
Yours,
 This Week's News
Franke UK introduces new sales & distribution policy to secure future of the brand Coming out in direct support of its specialist retailers loyal to the Franke brand, Franke UK has introduced a new policy to ensure they can sell Franke product with confidence and protect them from 'market free riders' who have been deliberately and recklessly damaging the Franke brand on the Internet. Knowing your customer? Handle with care! The future of the UK bathroom industry is in the hands of a rather select group of people. Customers. Your customers. But who, exactly are these people and how do they wield so much power? This is one of the fundamental questions to be discussed and debated at the Bathroom Business Conference on 8th October 2013. This annual conference has grown over the last decade and has developed a reputation for tackling some of the difficult questions which the industry faces. Carron Phoenix extends its popular Isis stainless steel sink range
The third big name in as many weeks for the BMA Utopia Bathroom Group, described as the UK's leading manufacturer of complete bathroom solutions, has signed for the Bathroom Manufacturers Association, the third major bathroom manufacturer to join the association in as many weeks. UK real-life kitchen study findings announced
If you've never thought to keep count, then you don't have to. Experts at the Furniture Industry Research Association and Blum UK have worked this, and the way you use the rest of your kitchen, out for you. Ellis Furniture launches Reflection Gloss White
InSinkErator celebrates its 75th anniversary
Franke launches its quietly stylish Maris cooker hood in black glass
In a stylish design with 90cm wide flat front and rounded corners, this is the only hood in the range which, when in recirculatory mode, does not require a chimney so it can be fitted to a wall compactly, similar to a flat screen TV - a feature that is likely to find favour with tech-savvy customers. Abode conforms to CE marking legislation
New Maytag dishwasher has Steam Clean technology
Visit AEG at The National Home Improvement Show this September
Visitors to the show are invited to learn all about advances in cooking technologies, such as induction hobs and multifunctional steam ovens, as well as being given the opportunity to get hands on with AEG's products. The KBzine Archive Search We keep an extensive archive of news stories and product information that have featured in past issues of The KBzine. If you would like to run a search of the The KBzine web site using the search tool below please just go ahead by entering in the name of the person, product or company or any other key words that you are looking for. How to contact us at The KBzine:
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clicking the link above. Recent News
Record demand for KBSA Awards tickets This year's KBSA Designer Awards look set to mimic the success of last year's; with tickets selling fast it is likely to be fully booked by the end of the month. Bathroom Sale attracts record numbers of retailers
Leisure Sinks continues to provide quality for Guernsey's States Housing residents
 Top 10 fellow worker's habits that annoy the most - as revealed by 5000 employees It's never a joy going back to work after a break and with the Summer holidays coming to an end (well, in my neck of the woods, anyway) the 'back to work blues' is something many are dealing with right now. The good news is that we can all make things easier for our colleagues by taking note of the results of a survey carried out for Peninsula Business Services, the employment law consultancy, whose Group Director Alan Price, warns: Insurers using the MA Assist building repair network will now be able to assure policy holders their homes will be refurbished by high quality contractors and tradesmen approved to Government-endorsed standards. |
