The kbbreview Podcast

Welcome to The kbbreview Podcast, your host is editor-at-large Rebecca Nottingham for another of our very special Rising Star episodes where we meet the upcoming superstars of kitchen and bathroom retail.  

Between August 2024 and March 2025 we’ll be picking a monthly Rising Star to feature in the magazine, online and this very podcast. Those eight monthly winners then become the shortlist for the overall winner which will be revealed at the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards 2025 in April.

It's done with the support of our very good friends at Blum and you can find out more about them at blum.com

There are only two rules:

They must be currently employed by a retailer - which we're defining as a company that sells direct to the consumer.

AND

They must be under 30 years of age on March the 4th, 2025. 

So here's our Rising Star for December, Izzy Huxford. She's a hugely impressive bathroom designer from Wilton Studios in Grimsby demonstrating real drive and passion - exactly what the Rising Star is all about…

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Welcome to The kbbreview Podcast and another of our very special Insights mini-series looking ahead to 2025. Your host is Andy Davies and we've partnered up with some key kitchen and bathroom brands to get their take on 2024 as it draws to a close AND their views on how the market might shape up in 2025.

Where are the opportunities? Where is the growth? What might be the pitfalls? And where is the focus for them?

It's an invaluable peak into the 2025 plans, ambitions and goals of some of the sector's most dynamic brands.

Today we're meeting Andrew Laidler, the UK and Ireland Sales and Marketing Director for for EGGER. They're about as big a name as it's possible to get in this market so hearing Andrew's view and thoughts on what 2025 might bring couldn't be more relevant.

You can find out everything you need to know about EGGER at egger.com.

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Welcome to The kbbreview Podcast and another of our very special Insights mini-series looking ahead to 2025. Your host is Andy Davies and we've partnered up with some key kitchen and bathroom brands to get their take on 2024 as it draws to a close AND their views on how the market might shape up in 2025.

Where are the opportunities? Where is the growth? What might be the pitfalls? And where is the focus for them?

It's an invaluable peak into the 2025 plans, ambitions and goals of some of the sector's most dynamic brands.

Today we're meeting Jon Thelwell, the sales and marketing director for family-owned British furniture manufacturer JJO. It's a big name with a big history with independent retailers so Jon's views on 2025 are invaluable so don't miss it.

You can find out everything you need to know about JJO at jjoplc.com

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Welcome to The kbbreview Podcast and another of our very special Insights mini-series looking ahead to 2025. I'm Andy Davies and we've partnered up with some key kitchen and bathroom brands to get their take on 2024 as it draws to a close AND their views on how the market might shape up in 2025.

Where are the opportunities? Where is the growth? What might be the pitfalls? And where is the focus for them?

It's an invaluable peak into the 2025 plans, ambitions and goals of some of the sector's most dynamic brands.

Today we're meeting Dean Williams, the managing director for sinks, taps, and accessories supplier The 1810 Company. They're a big name in the UK independent retail market so Dean's views on what 2025 might hold are about as relevant as it gets.

You can find out everything you need to know about The 1810 Company at the1810company.co.uk, and that link is in the episode description.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The kbbreview Podcast and another of our very special Insights mini-series looking ahead to 2025. We've partnered up with some key kitchen and bathroom brands to get their take on 2024 as it draws to a close AND their views on how the market might shape up in 2025.

Where are the opportunities? Where is the growth? What might be the pitfalls? And where is the focus for them?

It's an invaluable peak into the 2025 plans, ambitions and goals of some of the sector's most dynamic brands.

Today we're meeting Neal Jones, the managing director of Blanco in the UK. They're one of the biggest names in the sector so Neal's view on the market is about as relevant as it gets when it comes to forecasting what 2025 might bring so you don't want to miss this one.

You can find out everything you need to know about Blanco at blanco.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The kbbreview Podcast and the first episode of this very special Insights mini-series looking ahead to 2025. We've partnered up with some key kitchen and bathroom brands to get their take on 2024 as it draws to a close AND their views on how the market might shape up in 2025.

Where are the opportunities? Where is the growth? What might be the pitfalls? And where is the focus for them?

It's an invaluable peak into the 2025 plans, ambitions and goals of some of the sector's most dynamic brands.

We've got episodes coming out every day this week and we're starting today with ARMERA.

ARMERA has an extensive coordinated bathroom portfolio that brings affordable luxury with a real detail in the design and you can find out all about them at armera.co.uk.

They're a very exciting company to watch in this market and we'll be hearing their views on 2025 from joint managing director Sarah Williams.

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Welcome to The Kbbreview Podcast and another of our special episodes around the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards 2025.

This month’s episode is a peek behind the curtain of the awards, as we have a chat with some of the judges, both in the retail business categories and the design categories. We’ll find out about the approach to judging and interpreting the criteria, and what the judges expect from the 2025 awards in particular.

A huge thank you needs to go out to our awards podcast partner, Sonas Bathrooms - it’s great to have their support, as between now and the event on Thursday, April 24, at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom we'll be bringing you MORE special bonus episodes where we'll really get under the skin of the awards and celebrate the very best talent our industry has to offer.

In fact, we'll be revealing the shortlist itself in a very special episode of this podcast just before Christmas!

In any case, for more information on the awards and booking tables, you can go to kbbreview.com/awards.

On with the show!

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Welcome to The kbbreview Podcast, your host is editor-at-large Rebecca Nottingham and this is another of our very special Rising Star episodes where we meet the upcoming superstars of kitchen and bathroom retail.  

Between August 2024 and March 2025 we’ll be picking a monthly Rising Star to feature in the magazine, online and this very podcast. Those eight monthly winners then become the shortlist for the overall winner which will be revealed at the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards 2025 in April.

It's done with the support of our very good friends at Blum and you can find out more about them at blum.com.

You can nominate your rising stars, or indeed nominate yourself, via the awards website kbbreview.com/awards and there are only two rules:

They must be currently employed by a retailer - which we're defining as a company that sells direct to the consumer.

AND

They must be under 30 years of age on March the 4th, 2025. 

Other than that, they can perform any job role within your business – admin, design, sales, finance, installation, we don’t mind as long as they’re a star!

So let's meet our Rising Star for November, Alistair Glover. After starting out on the supply side, he became fascinated by kitchen design, eventually joining retailer Alexander in Sussex and in the space of just two impressive years, he's gone from designer to showroom manager. Here's his story…

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Welcome to the kbbreview Podcast and this is Episode Ten and the last official episode of Season 13.

Season 14 will officially start in the New Year but we'll actually be back in December with a special mini-series looking ahead to 2025 AND, of course, the now legendary episode where we reveal the shortlist for the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards 2025 (entries close on November 14th!)

In this episode we're meeting two of our 2024/25 Adopted Retailers - you may have seen this in the magazine and online but we're following three independent retailers over the next 12 months as they embark on new endeavours in their businesses. The ins and outs, the ups and downs and everything in between as we map the very real experiences of independent KBB retailers. 

In this episode we're meeting Joe Kardani, the co-founder of Point 5 Kitchens in North London. After opening their first showroom in Muswell Hill  in 2016, they're in the middle of developing their second showroom just down the road in Belsize Park.

Then we have Olivia Weaver, aged just 25, she and her husband are starting a brand new retail business in Shropshire called Harrison James after several years on the tools.

Our third Adopted Retailer is the equally interesting  Leamington Kitchen Company in Leamington Spa and you can read their first installment here and we'll meet them on a podcast further down the line.

All this is made possible by our Adopted Retailer Partner Alku, the exciting new range of Kitchen, Bedroom and Lifestyle furniture, created with the designer in mind. We're delighted to have them on board for this and you can find out everything you need to know about them, including how to become a dealer, at alku.co.uk.

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Welcome to The kbbreview Podcast, your host is Andy Davies and this is Episode Nine of Season 13.

Today we're delving back into the mysteries of the brain with another look at the psychology of you and your clients and, in particular, the effect of unconscious bias on how you view them and they view you.

Does the car they drive, the clothes they wear or the haircut they have mean that you form opinions on them the moment they come through the showroom door?

Or, more worryingly, is the same true for their gender, race or age too?

The answer, according to our guest - retail psychology expert Phillip Adcock - is an uncomfortable yes to all of them no matter what you might say. Hundreds of thousands of years of evolution have made you instantly judge everyone you meet and these unconscious prejudices are constantly battling with your conscious desire to treat everyone the same.

His view is that the more you're aware of how people's unconscious minds work - both yours and your clients - the more successful you can be in selling your services. And that could mean accepting some uncomfortable truths and actively consciously choosing to go against them.

And don't forget that entries close for the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards 2025 on November 14. Find out everything you need to know at kbbreview.com/awards.

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