KBzine: the original kitchen and bathroom industry e-news - since 2002
22nd July 2016
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 International News
Products Survey of SMEs across Europe and the USA reveals differing outlooks Well over a third (38%) of UK small-to-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) believe that if they don't adapt their business models they will go out of business in five years. However, only a mere 2% have done something about it. These are the findings of the 2016 'SME Barometer Research' commissioned by Exact - an annual survey looking at technology adoption among 2,500 SMEs across Europe and the USA - which reveals a number of differing outlooks, across the countries studied. Gaia takes control of the whole house
SieMatic receives the highest possible brand endorsement with a golden accolade
Established after a directive from the German Bundestag (House of Representatives) over 60 years ago, the 'German Design Council' acknowledges international design and brand activity in Germany with its esteemed 'German Brand Award'. Grohe and Philips Sound bring the joy of music to the shower experience
Utopia prepares for major product launch
Weston Homes & RAK partner to create stunning bathroom concept
Double Trouble: the rise of the 'sexy bathroom'
Franke's new Nyon tap is a modern classic
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Were you around when the UK ‘decimalised’ in the 70s, or when the Euro was launched? Or do you live in a country that adopted the Euro in later years? I understand that in every scenario, vendors used the changes as an excuse to increase prices – in some cases by quite a lot. I don’t know how it happened regarding the Euro (only that it did) but decimalisation encouraged vendors to ‘round everything up’ to the nearest penny, rather than reduce it. Yes – I know it was only a penny, but back then they were worth something and when everything was added up, the rounding up made a big difference to a household’s monthly spend. Today we’re running a ‘Soapbox’ from a delivery company whose competitors are using ‘Brexit’ as an excuse to increase prices by 10%. This is not the first time this practice has been brought to my attention. Let’s all jump on the bandwagon while we can, shall we? Whether we use it for business or pleasure, the Internet has given us a Pandora’s Box of knowledge and the ability to communicate about anything we wish to discuss, with just about everyone – whether we know them or not. As well as being able to find out what others think of a product or service before we buy into it (thanks to websites full of customer reviews), it has made us all into experts at shopping around and getting the best possible deals from companies that we know will look after us. If you need to raise prices for a valid reason then go ahead, but raised prices thanks to what may be perceived as a flimsy excuse such as a break with the EU that many still believe will not be happening (and if it does, not until at least 2019) will result in customers buying elsewhere. Be warned… Yours,
 This Week's News
Rt. Hon. Theresa May MP (as she was at the time) visits new Maidenhead Screwfix store
John Mewett, marketing director at Screwfix, shared with her some of the feedback from the company's trade customers and some of the key issues, opportunities and challenges facing people in the trades in the local area. New Eisl Eco home mixer tap range cuts energy usage and keeps bills to a minimum
With water savings of up to 50%, low noise, 35mm ceramic disc cartridge, contemporary design, 5-year warranty and competitive market position, the portfolio offers a convincing package of features. Kitchen Bathroom Buying Group signs up its first bathroom supplier
Broadening out to provide a more extensive offering for the independent kitchen and bathroom specialist, the ever-growing list of KBBG suppliers has now been extended to include the range of attractive and innovative award-winning showers and tapware from Methven.
City Distribution, based in Blackpool, has been servicing the North of England for 29 years. We take orders up to 4:45pm delivering the following day and even man our sales office on probably our customers' busiest day, Saturday, to deal with product enquiries and process orders for Monday delivery - arguably making a rod for our own back but today's retailer need every tool in the box to secure that all important sale. Hib enters the Virtual Worlds realm
HiB has recently signed a three-year agreement to feature on the popular Virtual Worlds professional CAD software. This means that all retailers signed up to the programme will now be able to generate interactive simulations of HiB products, to exacting proportions, to be included in their design consultations.  Lift kitchen storage to new heights with Alno iMove
The new iMove lift shelf wall unit makes access to kitchen cabinets easier than ever before with its convenient descending shelves, allowing the contents of upper shelves to be effortlessly reached. The higher shelves move gracefully in and out of the iMove unit cabinet with a light, flowing movement aided by a robust yet discreet integrated pull handle. Dream Doors announces winner of inaugural 'kitchen transformation of the year' award
The winning kitchen makeover was completed by Dream Doors Salisbury, transforming a kitchen from a tired wooden look, to a much more modern HG White, and Metallic Blue themed kitchen. PWS's flagship Southern Design Centre opens for business
Vado launches Strata and Phase shower columns
Strata features an attractive glass topped valve which doubles as a shelf; the perfect place to put all those essential showering toiletries. In addition, the elegant shower column features a round fixed Saturn shower head and a round, multi-function push-button handset with rain, drench and mist functions. New partnership explores exciting opportunities for Veterans
At the milestone event, iKBBI CEO Damian Walters addressed the guests by saying: "The industry has a long-standing challenge on its hands, one that by far pre-dates the destabilising referendum result recently. Our challenge is in the form of addressing a widening skills gap that has manifested in a shortage of professional installers choosing to operate in the retail market. Messi, Piqué and Turan surprise school kids to give them the dream day of play
Lionel Messi, Gerard Piqué and Arda Turan surprised 10 children from a school in Barcelona and joined in with their training session as part of a special day out organised by Beko, Premium Partner of FC Barcelona. Ripples join forces with Hansgrohe for training
Beautifully illuminated from all angles, the cabinets feature the next generation of LED lighting, offering superior performance at the lowest possible energy consumption. 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
KBSA announces finalists in designer awards Following a meeting of the judges for the 2016 KBSA Designer Awards, whereby all entries are judged anonymously, the finalists have been named for all categories as follows: Kitchen Designer of the Year under £30,000 - sponsored by Omega:  KBSA designer awards - entries judged anonymously The Kitchen Bathroom & Bedroom Specialists Association reports that judging is now underway for the KBSA 2016 Designer Awards, and that the shortlisted applicants will soon hear whether they have been successful in making it through to the next stage. The Judges, as always, will be judging each entry without knowing which entrant has submitted it, which is one of the unique features about this Awards programme. It is only when the winners and runners up are announced on the evening of the Awards dinner that judges are able to put designs to designers! RAK Ceramics wins Best Sanitaryware Brand at the BKU Awards
Whirlpool reveals all change in the UK's busy kitchens A new qualitative research project, conducted by Whirlpool, carried out to mark the launch of its new SmartCook induction hob, has learnt that cooking trends in the UK are evolving to accommodate new experiences, such as a wider range of gastronomic choices and healthier eating trends, but with convenience and ease of preparation considered increasingly important. BMA finalises conference line up for conference looking at the Circular Economy
People
Coram Group UK appoints James Walker as new national specification manager
Ideal Standard appoints Jim Moore as managing director UK & Ireland
Ripples founder wins lifetime achievement award
Marketing
Whirlpool repositions as a premium brand
Saniflo UK now on a TV near you
Literature
Candy reveals new 'Built-in kitchen appliance collection 2016' brochure
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