The kbbreview Podcast

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

But none of that stuff is important right now, because this is a very, very special episode. We are EXCLUSIVELY revealing the shortlist for the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards 2023 right here on the podcast. 

The scores are in, they have been counted and verified (about half an hour before we recorded!), and we have the very first look at the full rundown of finalists. 

Andy is joined by kbbreview editor Rebecca Nottingham to unveil the list in what is not only our last episode of season six but also the  last episode of 2022. So good luck everyone, and Merry Christmas!

P.S. Don't forget that the awards event itself is on April 20th 2023 in Cardiff so book your tickets now to make sure you don't miss out on the biggest kbb party of the year! Go to kbbreview.com/awards for all the details.

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Welcome to this special bonus episode of the kbbreview podcast with your host Andy Davies.

We have another instalment of our bonus Insights 2023 series today. This is a fascinating set of episodes  where we talk to kbb industry leaders about their thoughts looking back at 2022 and where they think the opportunities, pitfalls and growth lie in 2023.

And today we're hearing from one of the biggest brands in this industry - Egger. Its products span the market and so its insights into what's been happening in 2022  and the thoughts on what might happen in 2023 are absolutely invaluable.

kbbreview deputy editor Vicki Evans is talking to Product Manager Alexandra West and Plant Director Andrew Sanderson. 

This bonus episode is commercial content.

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Welcome to the kbbreview Podcast, your host as always is Andy Davies and this is episode nine of season six.

Really, really interesting episode this week as we delve into Zero Carbon - no, please, bear with us, we know how you feel when we talk about sustainability, but this is important because it will directly affect the success of your business in the short, medium and long term.

The UK has a legally binding commitment to be carbon net zero by 2050 - and while that may seem like years away, it will take a huge effort between now and then to achieve it. Why is this important to you? It's because residential homes contribute around 40% to the country's carbon emissions and so the government is coming for the two rooms in the house that use by far the most energy, the kitchen and the bathroom.

Using a combination of legal force and substantial incentives, it will make consumers want and need to make their homes considerably more efficient and it's you they will turn to when it comes to those two rooms.

kbbreview deputy editor Vicki Evans is talking to technologist and zero carbon expert Steve Nesbitt from the Manufacturing Technology Centre as well as Bill Miller, the md of the Kitchen and Bathroom Buying Group.

It's fascinating stuff, so fascinating in fact that we"ll confess that some of the audio quality isn't great in this conversation but we wanted to put it out anyway because what they're discussing is so interesting so please bear with it.

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Welcome to this special bonus episode of the kbbreview podcast, I'm your host Andy Davies.

We're continuing our Insights 2023 series today, where we talk to kbb industry leaders about their thoughts looking back at 2022 and where they think the opportunities, pitfalls and growth lies in 2023.

It's a fascinating look into the opinions of some of the sharpest minds in the industry.

This week I'm talking to Steve Breen, the new head of VitrA in the UK.He took over the bathroom heavyweight in the summer with ambitious plans for growth and expansion across all the channels

But as 2022 draws to a close, how is his confidence as he looks forward to 2023 for both VitrA and the industry as a whole?

This bonus episode is commercial content.

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Welcome to the kbbreview Podcast, this is episode eight of season six and your host as always is Andy Davies.

This week, we have the return of Josh Delane from The Woodworks. If you heard last week's episode on Instagram - and if you haven't you really should - you'll know that Josh has tripled the size of his family business in just half a dozen years by jumping feet first in to the world of digital marketing and social media.

In this episode we talk about how to get started in really effective digital marketing for small independent kbb retailers - just how do you get the most bang for your limited buck. There's sooo much useful eye-opening information, advice and practical examples in here, Josh really knows his stuff and is thankfully very happy to share it.

This is also the third to last episode of the season as we run up to Christmas and so we can reveal that the last episode, number ten, will come out on Tuesday December the 20th - and why is that significant?  It's because that episode will be a special Christmas present - the first reveal of the shortlist for the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards 2023. If you want to find out if your name is on the list you'll have to listen to that episode.

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Welcome to this special bonus episode of the kbbreview podcast, your host as always is Andy Davies.

We're continuing our Insights 2023 series today, where we talk to kbb industry leaders about their thoughts looking back at 2022 and where they think the opportunities, pitfalls and growth lies in 2023.

It's a fascinating look into the opinions of some of the sharpest minds in the industry.

This week our guest is Simeon Gabriel, the new head of Hettich in the UK. In May he took over the internals specialist, bringing with him a CV packed with experience from several other sectors.

So how does he look back at 2022 and how is he seeing 2023 play out?

This bonus episode is commercial content.

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

Welcome to the kbbreview Podcast, your host as always is Andy Davies and this  is episode seven of season six.

You may remember back in episode two of season five we heard all about TikTok from Josh Delane of The Woodworks in London. It was a really popular episode so if you haven't heard it we really recommend going back to it.

In fact, it was so popular that we're very pleased to say we've got Josh back for not one but two episodes. In this one, we'll be talking to him all about Instagram and how he has not only grown his followers to over 150,000, but also how he uses it to get actual leads as part of his wider marketing plan.

Then next week, Josh is coming back to talk about how small, independent kbb retailers can get the most bang for their limited buck using digital marketing - he's tripled their business in just six or seven years and he will tell you how.

It is genuinely eye-opening stuff so grab a pen as we promise you'll want to write stuff down...

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Welcome to this special bonus episode of the kbbreview podcast, your host always is Andy Davies.

We're continuing our Insight 2023 series today, where we talk to kbb industry leaders about their thoughts looking back at 2022 and where they think the opportunities, pitfalls and growth lies in 2023.

It's a fascinating look into the op[inions of some of the sharpest minds in the industry.

This week I'm talking to Stephen Johnson, the head of Quooker in the UK. His remarkable and rapid rise to the top has seen his brand become one of the most recognisable and respected in the industry.

And Stephen has also leant his weight and support to several industry initiatives including the drive for more qualified installers at the BiKBBI and the continued financial backing of the KBSA.

So we'll find out what he thinks 2023 has in store for Quooker and how he sees it playing out for the industry as a whole.

This bonus episode is commercial content.

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

Welcome to the kbbreview Podcast, this is episode 6 of season 6 and  your host as always is Andy Davies.

This week we're attempting to scratch one of independent kbb retail's most persistent itches - and that's whether or not you should charge a fee for your design time.

But, specifically, we're looking at how that does or doesn't fit into how you qualify your customers - in other words, how you work out whether they're just going to waste your time or not.

Are you the fifth retailer they've visited that day? Are they more interested in price than design? Are they carrying a Wren brochure under their arm?

So we'll be talking design fees and spotting tyre kickers with three top retailers - Jonathan Kneen from Creative Interiors in the Isle Of Man, Anna Rock from Colin Maher Design in Dublin, and Nick Warrington from Stuart J Warrington in Macclesfield.

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Welcome to this very special bonus episode of The kbbreview Podcast and, in fact, it's the first in a very special series of bonus episodes looking ahead to 2023.

Your host as always is managing editor Andy Davies and in this series we'll be talking to some key business leaders in the kbb sector and asking them where we are now and where we're going in the next 12 months.

Where are the opportunities?

Where are the pitfalls? 

What's the consumer going to do?

 How are they planning for their own companies?

First up we have Nathan Maclean from Virtual Worlds - it's leading the way in virtual reality solutions for retailers as well as offering hugely successful design packages. And Nathan himself has always been a real forward-thinker, applying very conceptual ideas to create practical applications so it's great to hear what his view of 2023 is.

This bonus episode is commercial content.

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