The kbbreview Podcast

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 September, Georgia Astley. She's the branch manager at Kutchenhaus Lutterworth. At just 22 she's already clocked up experience in installation, design, project management and running a showroom and, as you will hear, she's loving every minute of it...

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

For this very special episode we're meeting the founder of one of the industry's most enigmatic companies - Paul O'Leary from deVOL.

He and his team have managed to establish the hugely successful deVOL as a true lifestyle brand that, yes, will make you a beautiful traditional kitchen but they do it by inviting you into their world and giving you the warm and uniquely British deVOL experience. It is based in Cotes Mill, a 16th-century water mill set in twelve acres of natural meadows on the banks of the River Soar, just outside Loughborough and this rambling five-storey building and its gardens have since become synonymous with the deVOL brand and featured heavily in its own Emmy-nominated TV show - For The Love Of Kitchens. 

If you haven't seen it we highly recommend seeking it out via the deVOL YouTube channel.

Paul is the embodiment of deVOL and to hear him talk about the philosophy of it and his views on design and his customers is just fascinating as well as just listening to him tell his own personal story, it all makes up an interview that you just don't want to miss….

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Welcome to the kbbreview Podcast and this summer special episode dropping right in the middle of August.

We've got a cracking whole new season starting at the beginning of September but today's episode was just too good, too relevant and too insightful to wait until then.

Now we all know that the market is, at best, flat and, at worst, way below that and that leaves business owners and leaders with a difficult decision - do you hunker down and wait for it to pass, or do you actively attack the market with initiatives designed to spark it into life?

And that's why we're very lucky in this episode to have Stephen Ewer the CEO of one of the biggest UK suppliers in the industry Bathroom Brands. I went over to the always impressive showroom at their HQ in Dartford to talk to Stephen - and a very enlightening conversation it was too.

Bathrooms Brands is, of course, one of the biggest names in the sector, and is therefore always a real bellwether for what's happening. For a company with such a unique relationship with the independent retail sector, its plans and strategies are always worth examining in detail if you get the chance.

And its latest initiatives are more exciting than most as it launches a comprehensive package of products, promotion and price alignments designed with one goal in mind - to actively stimulate the depressed market.

This episode is sponsored by Bathroom Brands and we promise this is a very candid case study of how companies can take a lead and revitalise a market with some clever and creative ideas so we do really recommend this one.

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Welcome to a new series of episodes brought to you by The kbbreview Podcast. Your host is kbbreview editor-at-large Rebecca Nottingham for these monthly episodes meeting the Rising Stars of the kbb independent retailer sector, brought to you in association with Blum.

In this first episode we’re meeting our Rising Star for August, Melissa Halliday from Archispek in East Lothian.

But first, let’s explain what the Rising Star is all about and how YOU can nominate your own.

Yes, We’ve teamed up with Blum to find the industry’s upcoming stars because successful businesses and industries are always looking for fresh, new, creative talent. 

These rising stars often drive companies to innovate and embrace new practices and technologies and, guided by experienced hands, they can grow into valuable team members or even the next generation of business leaders.

The development of this pool of new, young talent is so important to the future of the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom retail sector and that’s why we’re expanding the scope of our annual ‘Rising Star’ award.

Between now and March next year  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 all very exciting so we need YOU to tell us who your Rising Star is - who are the members of your team that you believe stand out as a star of the future in this industry?

There are only two rules:

• They must be currently employed by a retailer - defined as a company that sells direct to the consumer.
• They must be under 30 years of age on March 4, 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!

You can find all the info you need at kbbreview.com/risingstar

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Welcome to The kbbreview Podcast, your host is Andy Davies and this is Episode Eight of Season 12.

You may remember that, all the way back in episode two a few weeks ago, we looked at the ever-present stalwart of the kbb showroom - the brochure. You can listen to that one here.

This week we're looking at the brochure's ever-present companion on the showroom shelf - the sample.

Every showroom has them whether it's for doors, worktops, handles and just about everything else but how do they use them, how do they manage and keep on top of them all, are there too many, and what do you do with them when the new ranges come out?

This is proper shopfloor stuff and we're talking it all through with a couple of great retailers in the shape of Stuart Luckman from RidgeWey and Al Bruce from Olive & Barr. We also have the supplier's perspective from Andy Noble, the Managing Director at CDUK.

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Welcome to the kbbreview Podcast, this is a special bonus episode counting down to one of the biggest events of the year - the InstallerSHOW 2024.

It's from the 25th to the 27th of June, that's Tuesday to Thursday, and thousands of visitors will descend on the NEC in Birmingham to see the latest products, mix with peers and hear the latest advice and debate on some of the biggest issues facing the sector. 

For the first time there will be a dedicated Installer Kitchens & Bathrooms area and that's where you'll find a special extra one-off issue of kbbreview, as well as big supply brands and big topics being discussed. 

So in this episode host Andy Davies finds our what;s happening with Mike Costain, the managing director of show organiser Lyrical Communications.

You can find out all about InstallerSHOW 2024 at installershow.com, and you can also register to attend for FREE there too.

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Welcome to The kbbreview Podcast and this is PartTWO of a special two-parter reporting from our very first Retail Safari.

A Retail Safari is a walking tour of interesting and innovative retail stores and environments and we're taking a group of independent kitchen and bathroom retailers out of this industry and hoping to expand horizons and provoke some new thinking on how to view their customers, their showroom, their displays.

We have a retail expert as our guide in the shape of Ian Scott, who's actually been on this podcast before, to lead us round.

In Part One you heard the running commentary from host Andy Davies and kbbreview's editor-at-large Rebecca Nottingham as they talked us through what they spotted in each store. We also heard from some of our retailers to find out what their learnings, takeaways and observations where.

Now, in Part Two, we'll find out what the rest of our retailers thought as well as a chat with Ian Scott and Hettich MD Simeon Gabriel.

This whole endeavour has been supported by Hettich UK and we wouldn’t have been able to do it without them so a public thank you to them. If you want to find out more about Hettich then you can them here.

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Welcome to The kbbreview Podcast and this is Part ONE of a special two-parter reporting from our very first Retail Safari.

A Retail Safari is a walking tour of interesting and innovative retail stores and environments and we're taking a group of independent kitchen and bathroom retailers out of this industry and hoping to expand horizons and provoke some new thinking on how to view their customers, their showroom, their displays.

We have a retail expert as our guide in the shape of Ian Scott, who's actually been on this podcast before, to lead us round.

In Part One you'll hear a running commentary from host Andy Davies and kbbreview's editor-at-large Rebecca Nottingham, they're talking us through what they spotted in each store, and then we'll hear from some of our retailers and find out what their learnings, takeaways and observations where.

In Part Two, we'll find out what the rest of our retailers thought as well as a chat with Ian Scott and Hettich MD Simeon Gabriel.

This whole endeavour has been supported by Hettich UK and we wouldn’t have been able to do it without them so a public thank you to them. If you want to find out more about Hettich then you can them here.

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Welcome to The kbbreview Podcast, your host is Andy Davies as always and this is episode five of season 12.

Today we're looking at a subject that has been completely eye-opening for us It's an issue affecting installers and we confess we had no idea just how big a problem it is until we started looking into it.

And that is…tool theft.

It's about as base a problem as you can get, the tools of your trade, worth thousands of pounds in some cases, getting nicked from your van. 

The impact is obvious on your immediate ability to work, but the resultant cost of not just replacing the tools but also getting the van patched up and your rocketing insurance rates are just as bad.

And then, of course, there's permanent and very real anxiety that it might happen again every time you park up and that can have a significant effect on mental health. 

It really is that big a deal.

So we'll be hearing the personal stories of three installers who have shocking stories to tell about it happening to them, what the cost both financially and personally has been and what, if anything, can be done about it.

Today's episode is brought to you with the support of our very good friends at Lawcris. They lead the field in wood based panel products, laminates and edgings with big brands such as Emporio Skin, Kronospan and many more. With over 40 vehicles in their fleet, they can provide next day delivery on all stocked products. You can find out all about them at lawcris.co.uk.

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Welcome to a very special bonus episode of the kbbreview Podcast, your host as always is Andy Davies, and today we're looking at one of the areas of kitchen design that doesn't get the recognition it deserves, and that's the panel finishes that make up the furniture.

When you actually think about it there's hundreds of colours, textures, grains and patterns all following, and often setting, the trends before they ever get near being made into furniture - and manufacturers are doing so at a speed that is mind boggling.

It's such an important part of the design journey that it definitely needs more attention so Andy is talking to Lauren Barker, the head of marketing and design for Lawcris.

Lawcris leads the field in wood based panel products, laminates and edgings with big brands such as Emporio Skin, Kronospan and many more. With over 40 vehicles in their fleet, they can provide next day delivery on all stocked products. You can find out all about them at lawcris.co.uk

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