The KBzine

KBzine: the original kitchen and bathroom industry e-news - since 2002
31st August 2020

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International News
Products

Luxury steel framing defines Caple's new WF1550 freestanding wine cabinet

Caple has created a new freestanding wine cabinet, the WF1550, with a thick stainless-steel frame for a more luxurious finish.
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Increased hygiene in the kitchen with Blanco's Solenta-S tap

Blanco UK has redefined sensor technology to make life in the kitchen cleaner and easier. In these days of heightened awareness of the need for super clean environments in kitchens, demand for touchless products has soared.
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Good headset hygiene helps make kitchen and bathroom showrooms COVID safe

Providing peace of mind and reassurance to customers that the showroom experience is Covid-safe will be a huge part of helping restore consumer confidence in the weeks and months ahead.
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Add pizazz to walls and floors with new Patterned Tiles from Verona

Verona has extended its popular Patterned Tiles collection introducing two new ceramic tile designs, which are guaranteed to deliver character and charm to any home.
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Design that moves: the next125 trolley

The new next125 trolley offers timelessly elegant design, in combination with multifunctionality and mobility.
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Triton introduces essential handwash units

The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for more rigorous hygiene processes and frequent handwashing in the workplace, as well as in the home.
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New distribution deal adds Abode sinks & taps to PJH product

PJH has agreed a distribution deal with Abode, one of the UK's leading designers and manufacturers of kitchen sinks and taps, and a brand renowned for its award-winning innovative product designs and outstanding product quality.
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Design considerations for a post Covid-19 world

If you’re looking beyond lockdown and pondering how the interiors and design of our homes are going to change as a result of the Coronavirus crisis, then you’ve already probably considered the impact hygiene is going to have on how we interact with everyday items in our home.
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Shower in style: the new 8mm shower enclosure range from Crosswater

Crosswater is introducing a collection of 8mm shower enclosures into its premium bathroom range.

The striking collection encompasses shower screen solutions, fittings and accessories, all designed to give customers the ultimate showering experience.
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Undermount sinks - Blanco explains all you need to know

Here, John Robinson of Blanco UK explains all that the retailer or installer needs to know about undermount sinks…
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Brandt Design launches online 'Design Tool' for its customers

Brandt Design, specialist retailer in the design and installation of residential and commercial lifestyle interiors, bring its showrooms to you with the launch of a new commercial Design Tool.
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Choice and flexibility is key for Keller

One of the many benefits of specifying and designing a kitchen from Keller is the vast choice and flexibility within the portfolios.
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Welcome to the
KBzine

I daresay that, like me, you'll have wondered many times over recent months where the Government is keeping its brains. Nothing seems to have been thought through and the plethora of inconsistencies... well - I've been shaking my head in disbelief so much that I seem to have created a permanent headache.

Some decisions have seemed perfectly reasonable; the stamp duty holiday for example. However, as someone who remembers the damage MIRAS did to the housing market back in the 80s, I have concerns about what will happen when stamp duty comes back into play. If you're too young to know what I'm talking about, Mortgage Interest Relief At Source enabled sharers to pool resources and buy property in an affordable way since both parties could claim tax relief on their mortgage payments. The announcement that the scheme was to end led to a rush on the market as sharers sought to secure a property in time to qualify for the scheme. Prices skyrocketed! My flat, bought just before the announcement, rose in value by 60% over a matter of weeks, before dropping back down overnight to slightly more than I'd paid for it, once the deadline came. The scheme's withdrawal plunged those who'd bought at inflated prices into 'negative equity', which for thousands, lasted years and in many cases led to repossessions. If you're planning to get on the housing ladder over the next few months, do be very careful.

Announced at around the same time as the stamp duty holiday was the Green Homes Grant, through which homeowners can apply for a £5000 voucher to make their homes more energy-efficient. I loved this scheme, believing it would kick-start the home improvement market, massively reduce our nation's energy and water consumption and help refill the Government's coffers with all that VAT and extra income tax being paid. Sadly though, this is another idea that hasn't been thought through properly, since the details, published this week, reveal that a couple of the 'biggies' - double glazing and water-saving fittings - aren't covered!

The Bathroom Manufacturers Association's chief executive, Tom Reynolds, is as disappointed as I am. "The Government's advisors on climate change found last year that heating water for showers and hot taps is the second largest source of household greenhouse gas emissions," he says. "With growing water scarcity, measures to reduce wasted water have a double-whammy benefit of reducing carbon and protecting vital water resources, so it's disappointing to see water efficiency not covered by this new Grant."

Can we as an industry get the Government to rethink this one, I wonder?

Yours,

Jan Hobbs

This Week's News

BiKBBI and BMA cement international relationships

The British Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom & Bathroom Installation and the Bathroom Manufacturers Association have partnered with the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA), the North American authority on all things residential kitchens and bathrooms, on its NKBA Global Connect Alliance Programme.

This international strategic collaboration connects associations and organisations serving the kitchen and bathroom marketplace to encourage a global exchange of current and forward-thinking insights and information.
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Colour Mix from Schmidt: a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow

Schmidt is now offering up to three different colours of materials on each cabinet, at no extra charge. Kitchen designers will be able to mix yellow and black for that bumble-bee look, or wood and white for a more subdued finish.
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Embrace Scandi-styles and creativity with Keller's new kitchen

The new Pebble Beach model from Keller Kitchens embraces Scandinavian style with soft pebble tones and combines it with brighter contemporary trends to offer homeowners a chic, modern kitchen.
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Vast majority of Brits have no idea how much water they use each day

This bank holiday as record numbers of people stayed at home, Water UK and water efficiency expert Waterwise joined forces to call for more to be done to educate the public about their water use.
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Educational trust offers Bathroom Academy bursary

The Potteries Mechanics Institute Trust Fund is offering a bursary for learners wishing to complete the Bathroom Academy's online courses. The bursary will fully cover the academy fees of up to 10 students.

The Bathroom Academy is an entirely web-based learning platform, with content written by industry experts.
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BC Designs strengthens bath collection with Chalice Minor bath

BC Designs, which several weeks ago brought back 100% of its employees from furlough to support international expansion, has strengthened its freestanding bath offering with the launch of the Chalice Minor bath.
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Four new members join KBSA

The Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialists Association has welcomed four more new members in the last few weeks, continuing the rise in membership, with 12 new showrooms joining the Association in the last five months.
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Small and sleek: Tiny Kitchen in next125 elegance

The fact that next125 not only creates sophisticated kitchens combining design and function in spacious loft architectures, but also devises elegant and fully equipped kitchen designs on compact floor plans, speaks for its high degree of versatility and planning competence.

The premium brand of Schüller Möbelwerk KG integrates its carefully considered design-space miracles under the label ‘Tiny Kitchen’.
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Traditional kitchen taps in fashion

The kitchen has always been the heart of the home and the recent lockdown has seen people spending more and more time in this space; socialising in a family bubble, cooking, home schooling, crafting - the list goes on. People have had time to imagine their perfect kitchen and enquiries to retailers are strong.
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Hotpoint launches new four door fridge freezer

Hotpoint has introduced a freestanding, American-style, stainless steel fridge freezer, with four doors that open to reveal three compartments (fridge, freezer and convertible zone) offering smart, flexible storage. Technologies inside the appliance create the ideal storage conditions, helping to keep food and drinks fresh for longer.
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Screwfix to open 40 new stores this year, creating around 400 jobs

Screwfix is to open 40 stores this year, creating around 400 new jobs in local communities. The new openings demonstrate continued growth of the business and a growing demand for convenience, despite the challenges of Covid-19.
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Complement any kitchen with Saint Moritz in Quartz from Königstone

Quartz is one of the hardest natural substances; its high quality durability makes it the perfect choice for worktop surfaces. The KönigQuartz range from high-grade surface manufacturer, Königstone, has been engineered with this in mind and the allure of its impressive range of colour options is designed to excite all kitchen design schemes.
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Whirlpool UK announces new appointments

Whirlpool UK Appliances, parent company to Hotpoint, Indesit, Whirlpool and KitchenAid, announces the new appointment of Tim Buszka as head of brand and digital, UK & Ireland. Additionally, Kimberley Garner has been promoted to the new position of Hotpoint brand manager, while Charmaine Warner, Whirlpool brand manager, takes on the additional role of Indesit brand manager too.
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How to contact us at The KBzine:

Jan Hobbs
Publishing Editor
Email:[email protected]
Tel: +44 (0)1372 811 307
Mobile: 07980 288 373

John Austen
Publishing Director
Email:[email protected]
Tel: +44 (0)1580 755 863
Mobile: 07766 707 888

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