News

OCTOBER 2024 New kitchen product supplier Sinks & Things

Acquired by Franke in January 2020, Sinks & Things have been one of their original distributors since the 1970’s, when the Swiss-based brand of sinks was first introduced into the UK market and have grown to be a major distribution partner. Franke’s investment and support has enabled Sinks & Things to move forward with enhanced customer service, delivery and operations whilst continuing to build on the heritage of our distribution partnership that has successfully spanned almost 40 years. Their product portfolio has been re-shaped to focus on offering the full Franke and Carron Phoenix product ranges, including appliances and decorative hoods, plus McAlpine plumbing kits. You can also use their online 24/7 ordering portal to place orders, check availability & price, check your account details and recent transactions.

OCTOBER 2024 New kitchen booth seating supplier Nook Home

Kitchen booths have never been easier. Nook have made it simple to create your perfect booth or banquette. Their modular design makes it easy for you to express yourself through colour, shape and texture – all in the perfect size for your space. Style it your way. They have done the maths, there’s over 9,000 options to choose from. However, to create your perfect Nook, all you have to do is pick from four simple options. They’re not just made in Britain. They’re made in Yorkshire. Their factory’s been doing this for over 100 years in the heart of the community. They’re proud of their manufacturing heritage – it’s in their blood. Well, stuffing actually. They design for modern life. That’s why Nook offer a 15 year structural guarantee on all their products.

AUGUST 2024 New kitchen product supplier DONBRACHT

Established in 1950 in Germany, Dornbracht have become the international benchmark for quality in kitchen and bathroom products. To achieve this, Dornbracht have relentlessly challenged the status quo of architecture and design. Their corporate principles are the irrevocable cornerstones of their thoughts and actions. Integrity is the basis for a corporate culture characterized by trust, respect, fairness and honesty. ​They consistently place the wishes and expectations of their customers at the centre of their actions. An outstanding customer experience in every encounter with the company and the creation of added value are both their goal and their self-image.​ Excellence is their universal benchmark, a passion they live every day, which flows into every product and their service.​ It is a guarantee for the highest quality and the basis for forward-looking innovations.​ Please note that members only have access to the Dornbracht range of kitchen products, bathroom products are not yet available via the KBBG.

JULY 2024 New kitchen furniture supplier Ashley Ann

We are very pleased to announce that the Caledonia kitchen and bedroom furniture ranges from Ashley Ann are available to members for new business only. Since its creation in 1986 by chairman Stephen Bremner, Ashley Ann, a family run business now led by Stephen’s sons Gavin and Scott, has been Scotland's leading manufacturer of kitchen and bedroom furniture.  The Caledonia brand reflects their core value: placing the customer at the heart of design and manufacturing. Caledonia furniture is bespoke, built to your exact specifications. Size, style, colour, finish - they create furniture that perfectly fits your space and reflects your taste. At Ashley Ann, they believe special requests are what they we do best! The Caledonia brand offers the following: Caledonia In-frame: Sophisticated, true English framed painted and timber kitchens. Caledonia Classic: Classically styled kitchens with superb value led painted shaker ranges. Caledonia Handle-less: Contemporary European styled kitchens with a unique British twist. Caledonia Bedrooms & Storage Solutions: A comprehensive range of furniture solutions for the rest of the home, including bathrooms, offices, studies and media walls.

JUNE 2024 New kitchen furniture supplier Omega Plc.

We are pleased to announce that the leading UK furniture manufacturer Omega Plc has joined the KBBG as a supplier. This is an exclusive agreement, as Omega will not work with any other UK kitchen buying group. I am sure that many of you will already be familiar with Omega and their many successful retail kitchen brands, such as Sheraton, Mackintosh, Chippendale and Novus. Omega PLC was founded in 1992 by Bob Murray, Francis Galvin and Newton Winfield. The objective of the founders was to establish a major home improvements manufacturing business in Yorkshire. With a typical kitchen delivery lead time of 3 to 4 weeks and remedials from only 48 hours, Omega sets standards for customer service and excellence. 

APRIL 2024 New bathroom supplier Baxar 

From the furniture district, the excellence of Made-in-Italy design. The culture of the bathroom as a living space. This is the element that distinguishes BAXAR as a specialist in the furnishing of the most intimate space of the house. BAXAR produces modern, functional, elegant and sophisticated bathrooms: High quality materials; Wide choice; Design, perfect combination of aesthetics and functionality; Balanced price/performance ratio. Discover the advantages of the versatile, flexible BAXAR range.

FEBRUARY 2024 New bathroom supplier Ramon Soler 

Since 1890 the premium brassware manufacture Ramon Soler have filed 115 patents and design registrations. As a result of their enthusiasm and perseverance over the years, Ramon Soler have become a leading international reference. They have certified their products according to the strictest standards and their sales networks cover more than 40 countries. Ramon Soler produces brassware with high performance, maximum technology and eco-efficiency, without forgetting the aesthetics. Their catalogue offers a wide range of taps and hydrotherapy systems that stand out for being sustainable, aesthetic, comfortable and highly reliable.

FEBRUARY 2024 New bedroom supplier Interlubke 

Interlubke today is a premium brand that stands for urban life and living. With the courage to create minimalistic, design focused bedroom furniture without compromise for over 80 years, the brand is proud to carry its successful past into the future. Interlubke has earned its reputation in Germany as one of the industries pioneers, creating furniture that is a benchmark for modernity and quality though its willingness to accept and adapt to change from the inside out. As a result, Interlubke is a brand that, to this day, continues to offer products of contemporary, innovative design combined with state-of-the-art production techniques.

JUNE 2023 New Appliance Supplier Fisher & Paykel

Founded in 1934 in New Zealand, and known for the innovative CoolDrawer and DishDrawer models, Fisher & Paykel also offer an extensive range of luxury cooking, washing and cooling appliances with a 5-year parts and labour guarantee on all built-in models. 

JUNE 2023 New bathroom supplier Sonas Bathrooms

With 45 years experience serving bathroom retailers Sonas know it is all about customer service. They set the high-standards and expect to exceed them. The Sonas collection is designed, manufactured and tested  to ensure it meets the Sonas quality promise. Discover it for yourself and see how it delivers on your customers expectations for style and function in all categories. Sonas water saving products will help your customer save up to 100,000 litres of water per year. As well as saving water, this is also reduces household energy and water bills. 

JUNE 2023 New bathroom supplier Decosan

The Spanish contemporary bathroom furniture manufacturer Decosan has joined the KBBG. As well as  bathroom furniture, Decosan also offers a range of complimentary range of sanitary ware and accessories. Decosan, part of the NOFER Group, is based in Barcelona and sold in 70 countries. Their extensive bathroom furniture range can be customized to suit the style and budget of your customer. Delivery lead-time to the UK is approximately 4 to 5 weeks. 

JANUARY 2023 New bathroom supplier Utopia

The multi-award winning UK bathroom company Utopia has joined the KBBG. . As well as bathroom furniture, Utopia also offers a range of sanitary ware and tiles. 

Utopia have been at the forefront of the UK bathroom industry for over 30 years. Their products are produced to exacting quality standards so your customers can buy with complete confidence. Products are designed, manufactured and hand assembled in the Midlands from the best quality materials, resulting in beautiful products with the perfect functional performance to match. All products are engineered with the bathroom fitter in mind so that installation is as straightforward as possible. All timber products are sourced from FSC® certified suppliers meaning the wood used in their factory is responsibly sourced from well-managed forests and other controlled sources. For complete peace of mind Utopia offer a 5 year guarantee on all furniture, a 10 year guarantee on brassware, a 30 year guarantee with all baths and a lifetime guarantee on sanitaryware. 

JULY 2022 Launch of our exciting new consumer web site: https://mykitchenspecialist.co.uk/ 

We have created a brand-new consumer facing web site that promotes independent kitchen specialists and generates consumer sales leads for members. Listing on the site is only available to KBBG members that sell one of our kitchen furniture ranges. Please speak to your local KBBG Business Manager for more details. 

JUNE 2022 New Service Provider Announced - ArtiCAD

We are pleased to announce that ArtiCAD is now a KBBG service provider. Many retailers will  already be familiar with this leading software company that has operated very successfully in the UK for over 30 years. Now part of the SHD Group, ArtiCAD offer software solutions for both UK and European kitchen, bedroom and bathroom brands.

MARCH 2022 New Supplier Announced - Multipanel

As a modern alternative to tiles, Multipanel creates beautiful wall spaces with waterproof wall panels, the luxurious and modern way to decorate a bathroom or kitchen. The Multipanel wall panel collections come in a range of sizes and finishes, including marble, stone and wood, offering a range of design possibilities and allowing your customer to reinvent their bathroom in a style that is uniquely theirs. Quick and easy to install using the unique Hydrolock system, completely waterproof and comes with a 30-year warranty. 

OCTOBER  2022 New Supplier Announced - SWIFT ELECTRICAL

With over 40 Years’ experience Swift Electrical has played a major role in the supply of kitchen appliances, sinks and taps to the independent sector. With a strong ethos on partnering with branded suppliers and delivering great customer service. Swift Electrical is The UK’s Big Brand Distributor. They are major stockists of Neff, Bosch, Hoover Candy, Hotpoint, Whirlpool and Liebherr appliances, plus Franke sinks and taps. 

KBBG 2021 ANNUAL MEMBERS MEETING  MONDAY 11TH OCTOBER

After a cancellation and a postponement, we were so pleased to finally be able to hold our Seventh Annual Members Meeting at the Williams F1 Experience Centre near Oxford on Monday 11th October. It was a great venue, with large grounds, wonderful meeting areas and a large screen theatre. It was so nice to be able to meet so many members and suppliers once again in person. During the day there were presentations covering diverse subjects such as changing consumer buying habits, how to manage your online reputation plus presentations from our event co-sponsors, Novy and Caple. After lunch we held a panel discussion about the increasing importance of smart appliances. Many suppliers supported the meeting with special on the day offers for members. At the meeting we announced the date of next year’s members meeting will be Monday 13th June 2022, please keep this date free in your diary.

SIMON ACRES GROUP - Offers KBBG Members online sales training resource

Have introduced a number of online kitchen sales training courses that are delivered by SAGL MD Simon Acres, in an easy to access video format.  The KBB specific content is focused on improving skills during the customer journey and is designed to help kitchen and bathroom retailers maintain margins, close more sales and sell more products. The topics are covered in clear digestible modules that can be done at any time, in the convenience of a learner’s own home. There is something for everyone whatever their level of experience, from establishing the basics for a new starter, smart tips and solutions, to acting as a reminder for a more experienced member of the sales team. 

MAY New KBBG supplier - The Radiator Company

Part of the IRSAP Group, was formed in 1998 and has become one of the largest independent suppliers of design led radiators in the UK and Ireland. With over 20 years experience in providing the best in contemporary radiators, The Radiator Company can help your customers choose the perfect heating solution for their home. They have designs that are suitable for every room; Living rooms, Hallways, Kitchens, Bedrooms, Bathrooms and Conservatories, and can paint selected radiators in any RAL colour to match the kitchen door colour. They believe that they have the most extensive range in the UK 

 MARCH 24th WEBINAR - NOVY PREMIUM APPLIANCES

Our third 2021 webinar took place on WEDNESDAY 24th MARCH at 1.00pm and was hosted by our premium appliance supplier Novy. Who presented their company to members, as well as introducing some new products that will be available later this year. The Novy team explained why Novy is the fastest growing premium appliance brand in the UK.

To play the webinar please click here: Novy/KBBG Webinar Links

JANUARY 27th WEBINAR -  HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY SELL IN A VIRTUAL WORLD

Our first KBBG webinar, was titled ‘How to successfully sell in a virtual world’, was led by the Director of Lead Wolf, Graeme Wilson. The webinar was carefully crafted to help KBBG members successfully organise virtual appointments to continue to generate leads while showrooms must remain closed during lockdown. Graeme shared insights and tips that covered the whole process of organising virtual appointments from what to include on a booking form, right through to how to host the meeting and follow up with the client afterwards. Graeme Wilson, Director, Lead Wolf, explains: “Virtual appointments have never been so important with the changing nature of how independent retailers are operating due to the pandemic. What’s more, we have taken note of the change in consumer behaviour and foresee many of the new ways of working to continue to be popular with consumers beyond the pandemic. We therefore encourage retailers to adapt their selling process now, by introducing virtual appointments for example, and integrating these new ways of working into their future sales process too.”

Here is a link to a recording of the webinar: Generating and Managing Virtual Appointments | Lead Wolf (lead-wolf.co.uk)

JANUARY 2021 LATEST NEWS REGARDING THE NEW GOVERNEMENT RESTRICTIONS

Inline with the latest national restrictions announced on Monday 4th January, our UK Head Office is now closed. However our staff are working from home and are available to help and support our members and suppliers as required. Please contact us on 0788 7247811 or info@derkreis.co.uk  

ONGOING 2020 KBBG COVID Statement

The KBBG confirms that all employees will comply with the government’s guidance on managing the risk of COVID-19:

1. As per government guidance we have carried out a COVID-19 Risk Assessment and shared the results with all KBBG employees.
2. Our Business Managers will not leave home and will self-isolate if they develop any Covid symptoms.
3. All our field-based business managers are equipped with full WHO (World Health Organisation) approved products for sanitisation.
4. We will do everything practical to manage transmission risk. Our Business Managers will sanitise any equipment used (including car interiors) before and after each appointment.
5. We will always adhere to social distancing and wear a face covering as per the government guidelines throughout our day.
6. We will follow to all measures that you have put in place for your business for the safety of your staff.
7. We have the appropriate PPE (single use face coverings & gloves) for any face to face business meetings.
8. Our Business Manager will not cold call and only visit on a fixed timed appointment. Off-site meetings and virtual meetings using Zoom or MS Team are available if you prefer.
9. We will update these measures in-line with the Government recommendations and guidelines. 

NOVEMBER 2020 ACQUABELLA joins the KBBG

The multi-award winning Spanish premium bathroom brand Acquabella has joined the KBBG and is available to members . Offering a vast range of premium made to measure shower trays, worktops, panels, baths and bathroom furniture, Acquabella further strengthens the KBBG's range of bathroom suppliers. 

OCTOBER 2020 Exclusive offer from LEAD WOLF for KBBG Members

If you give Lead Wolf an hour of your time and you’re interested and it works, you make an extra £300k plus per year.  If you don’t choose to go ahead, you’ve lost an hour, but you may still have learned something.  Frankly the juice is worth the squeeze!

The KBBG has joined forces with Lead Wolf, a digital agency that specialises in consumer lead generation for the kitchen and bathroom industry. Lead Wolf successfully helps independent retailers increase the number of high-quality customer sales leads coming into their business each month, and now KBBG members can access an exclusive offer from Lead Wolf to support business growth.

This new, exclusive offer gives KBBG members a unique discount on Lead Wolf’s services. The successful digital agency provides a sophisticated raft of online solutions exclusively to KBB retailers. This includes everything from optimising the retailer’s website, to social media, paid advertising management and link building, to deliver exceptional conversion rates.

MAY 2020 Best ever annual bonus payments for KBBG Members

This year (2020), the bonuses paid to KBBG members have been the best they have ever been. The bonuses were paid thanks to efforts made in 2019 and many members of the group received their highest payment to date.  

When the COVID-19 crisis hit the UK, in an attempt to support members in the most beneficial way possible, the KBBG paid qualifying members their 2019 bonus two months early, in order to give them a much-needed cash injection. The bonus payments are just one of the benefits that the KBBG has to offer and the KBBG aims to continue to help independent kitchen and bathroom specialists throughout the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.”

MAY 2020 Exclusive Virtual Showroom Tour offer for KBBG Members

The KBBG has partnered with Virtual 360 Tours Glos. The partnership enables KBBG members to create a virtual tour of their showroom at a special discounted price. Virtual tours are an increasingly important tool as we continue to live and work in different ways as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Virtual 360 Tours Glos will help retailers capture their showroom from all angles and create an easy-to-navigate tour. Customers will be able to explore what is on offer, safely and remotely, should they be unable to physically visit the showroom. Tours can also be integrated with social media channels and Google Earth to reach more consumers and enhance sales prospects.

KBBG members can benefit from an exclusive offer on the various services from Virtual 360 Tours Glos, generating additional support during these exceptional times.

MARCH 2020 KBBG announces Getley as a new kitchen and bedroom supplier

Alku is a new furniture brand, established and manufactured by Getley. Founded in 2006, Getley UK specialise in the manufacture and supply of high quality rigid cabinets and carcases direct to independent kitchen, bedroom and bathroom retailers. At kbb 2020, Getley launched a brand new range of traditional and contemporary kitchen and bedroom furniture under the Alku brand name. KBBG is pleased to announce and add the Alku brand to the buying group’s UK manufactured range.

A lack of storage space in the home is an issue many UK consumers face. The new Alku range of kitchen and bedroom furniture creates smart storage solutions with a stylish aesthetic and high quality, long-lasting materials. Alku furniture boasts the finest hinges, drawers and accessories available, so consumers can have confidence in the reliability of the brand.

Dan Hughes, Marketing Director, Getley UK, says: “Alku is designed to fill the gap in the market between the modern, large-scale German manufacturers and the smaller, more traditional, bespoke offering from UK manufacturers. Our aim with Alku is to complement German manufactured ranges and to provide studios with a greater range of furniture to offer to customers. We are excited to be joining forces with the KBBG to provide members with a UK offering of both kitchen and bedroom furniture.”

We are delighted to welcome Alku as a supplier of a UK manufactured range to the KBBG, and are pleased to be able to offer our members bedroom furniture as well as an extended kitchen offering. The Alku range boasts impressive storage solutions with every inch, hinge and door carefully chosen to ensure consumers can make the most out of the space in their kitchen or bedroom. Alku currently has 16 kitchen and 11 bedroom ranges within its portfolio with more planned and they look forward to introducing the designs to members.