The kbbreview Podcast

Welcome to The kbbreview Podcast, your host is Andy Davies as always and today we're asking the most fundamental and simple question that usually doesn't have an easy answer  - how's business?

The market has been really poor for some time - you don't need me to tell you that - but what are the nuances within it, what are the different perspectives on why that might be, what are the positive signs of recovery and what's going to happen in the short to medium term?

September and October always bring the KBSA Conference and the Bathroom Manufacturers Association Conference and they're perfect places to grab those in the know to get a snapshot of opinion on where the market is.

So we grabbed some willing volunteers and asked them that question - how's business?

Entries for the kbbreview Retail and Design Awards 2025 are now open but the clock is ticking as we're closing them at 5pm on November the 14th - and we won't be extending that.

We have categories for kitchen and bathroom designs at different project costs, we have Showroom of the Year, Retailer of the Year, Installation Company of the Year, Supplier Team of the Year, New Retailer of the Year and our Rising Star Award for those in KBB retail under 30. In other words we've got something for everyone and it's totally FREE to enter so you've got nothing to lose. 

Everything you need to know is at kbbreview.com/awards

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Welcome to The kbbreview Podcast, you host today 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 here's our Rising Star for October, Luke Niblett from Luxe Kitchen Designs. He started out as a cabinet maker but decided he wanted to run his own business and, before he's even 30, he's managed to not just do that but do it very successfully…

See our other Rising Stars at kbbreview.com/risingstar

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

And today we're delving into the world of franchises. 

They've been around a long time in this sector, of course, but the accelerated growth of Kutchenhaus in particular has refocused attention on the business model that combines lots of the pros of being an independent retailer with the power of a national brand.

So names such as Kutchenhaus, as well as Schmidt, Kesseler, Ripples, Raison Home, The Kitchen Depot and many others are forging a whole new approach to kitchen and bathroom retail.

We interviewed Paul Lee from Kutchenhuas a few episodes ago - so go back and listen to that for more specifics on their head office strategy - but today you'll hear kbbreview editor-at-large Rebecca Nottingham talking to franchisees from three different companies and looking at why they chose this route, what the pros and cons are, and how far they think franchising can go in the KBB market. 

So we have friend of the show Trevor Scott - who runs a Kutchenhaus franchise alongside his long-standing business RFK. We have James Casey from Kesseler in Sudbury, and we have Imran Azam who runs Ripples showrooms in Wokingham and Beaconsfield.

Now, heads up, Imran's sound isn't great but bear with it as his story and perspective is really interesting AND he was literally talking to us on his holiday from the balcony of his hotel in Monaco. Rather brilliantly, you can hear the birds singing in the background....

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Welcome to the kbbreview Podcast and, for those keeping meticulous records this is episode six of season 13.

Your host is Andy Davies, and we're getting all nostalgic in this one as we mark 40 years of kbbreview. Our very own George Dean has been having a chat with a couple of top retailers, who have both been in the game for more than 40 years, to get a view on what the industry was like back then and how it compares to now.

We have Tina Riley from Modern Homes in Leamington Spa and Phil Beechinor from Alexander in Worthing.

We've also got Mark Pearson in there, his day job now is kbbreview's Operations and Events Director - in other words the man behind the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards - but before he joined us he was a very accomplished bathroom retailer, specifically with Porcelanosa, and he started his career over 40 years ago too.

So, if you're fans of how it used to be back in the day, you don't want to miss this one!

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In the second of our very special episodes all about the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards 2025, we catch up with our Podcast Partner Sonas Bathrooms and a pair of their retailers to look at the importance of the supplier-retailer partnership.

Hosted by kbbreview's Matt Baker, our special guests are:

Richard Sloan, the CEO of Sonas Bathrooms

Becky Price from Park Street Interiors in Camberley

and

Dan Tuff from Glenfield Bathrooms in Leicester.

Don't forget that entries are OPEN for the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards 2025. It's totally FREE to enter and if you're a kitchen or bathroom designer, retailer, supplier or installer, we have categories for you. The closing date is Novermber 14th and you can find out everything you need to know at kbbreview.com/awards or in our special awards podcast episode.

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Welcome to The kbbreview Podcast, and this is the final episode of our special three-part series we're calling 'Changemakers'.

It's all in association with our very good friends at Hettich and together we're meeting people or companies that are truly forging their own path in the UK kitchen and bathroom sector. They're shaping opinions, trends and business practices in a way that genuinely shifts the industry zeitgeist.

Your hosts in this series are, once again, kbbreview's Andy Davies and Hettich UK managing director Simeon Gabriel. 

This week we're meeting Richard Hagan from Crystal Doors - on the surface they're a manufacturer of vinyl wrapped doors but under Richard's guidance they're so much more than that. He is a true champion of sustainable manufacturing, and his relatively modest company based in Rochdale has shown that it is possible for anyone to genuinely have minimal impact on their environment.

He is a proper expert on the mechanics, economics and practical applications needed to do it too, there is nothing conceptual here, and he is a leading player in the business community of Greater Manchester sharing that expertise. No greenwashing here.

He's a fascinating character, an obsessive about the subject and he's been able to turn it into reality in a away that many talk about but few do.

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Welcome to The kbbreview Podcast, this is the second episode of our special three-part series we're calling 'Changemakers'.

It's all in association with our very good friends at Hettich and together we're meeting people or companies that are truly forging their own path in the UK kitchen and bathroom sector. They're shaping opinions, trends and business practices in a way that genuinely shifts the industry zeitgeist.

Your hosts are kbbreview's Andy Davies and Hettich UK managing director Simeon Gabriel. 

This week we're meeting Paul Lee and Gordon Robinson from Kutchenhaus. It is, of course, the retail franchise outfit that has managed to grow and grow in a way no other franchise company in this market has been able to do. Owned by German kitchen manufacturing giant Nobilia, it has now managed to reach a size and influence that is shaping market trends and share and leading other companies, notably Magnet, to launch franchise operations of their own.

• How do you become a franchisee?
• What autonomy do they have?
• How does the brand maintain consistency in design, marketing, sales and service?
• Is there a critical mass?

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Welcome to The kbbreview Podcast and this is the first episode of a special three-part series we're calling 'Changemakers'.

It's all in association with our very good friends at Hettich and together we're meeting people or companies that are truly forging their own path in the UK kitchen and bathroom sector. They're shaping opinions, trends and business practices in a way that genuinely shifts the industry zeitgeist.

Your hosts for this series are kbbreview's Andy Davies and Hettich UK managing director Simeon Gabriel. 

Our first Changemaker is a real pioneer in the field of accessible and multi-generational kitchen design - Adam Thomas. A wheelchair-user himself, he has a unique understanding of how kitchens can and should be designed to allow full use by everyone of any ability, age, size or shape. 

He is also very inspirational when it comes to explaining just what a business opportunity this is for retailers and designers.

It's all here in a very special interview that you won't want to miss....

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The kbbreview Retail & Design Awards 2025 are open for entries and this is the first of our special monthly awards podcast bonus episodes. 

We'll be following the whole process between now and the event in April - including exclusively revealing the shortlist of finalists just before Christmas.

In this first episode we get down to basics - what are the awards, who can enter, what are the categories and what are our top tips for doing your entries.

Huge thanks to our Awards Podcast Partner for 2025 Sonas Bathrooms for all their support. You can find out all about becoming a Sonas Bathrooms retailer at sonasbathrooms.co.uk

You can find out everything you need to know about entering the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards 2025, as well as booking tickets for the event, at kbbreview.com/awards

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Welcome to The kbbreview Podcast, your host is Andy Davies, this is Episode Two of Season 13 and we've got a great one for you today as we look into the world of distribution with one of the biggest names in the sector - Waterline.

We have a great interview with Michael Marriott, who's the new CEO, and sales director Rob Taylor who's chalked up an astonishing 39 years with the company.

Waterline is, of course, owned by Crown Imperial and Michael is the grandson of the founder, continuing the lineage of the family-run business. His brother Barry Head is the current MD of Crown.

There are huge changes happening with distribution in the KBB industry - with consolidation, buy outs and big names calling in the administrators. Big brands who always relied on distributors are starting to go direct and margins are getting tighter and tighter across the chain.

Against this backdrop, Waterline has just launched its first ever bathroom range - an ambitious move into a very crowded market.

So why have they done it, what do they think about the direction of distribution in general, and how does a new CEO get under the skin of such a well-established company?

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