The kbbreview Podcast

Welcome to the kbbreview Podcast, this is episode 15 of season 3 and your host as always is Andy Davies

This week we’re looking at two really interesting, highly relevant and timely subjects.

First up, we’re looking at the return of major industry events and in particular what’s happening with the kbb show in Birmingham in March 2022. As we're sure so many of you remember, the 2020 show took place just a couple of weeks before the first lockdown and since then the events industry has been clearly one of the hardest it – but the 2022 show is not only on, it’s looking like it will be better than ever. We find out the latest from Senior Event Manager Jenny Purves.

Then we move onto the most valuable of retailer resources – reputation. And in particular protecting your hard-earned reputation when customers are unhappy about things out of your control such as, everyone take a deep breath, the current delays on products.

We have a great case study from retailer Shehryar Khan from Sheraton Interiors in Twickenham as well as reputation management expert Andrew Hulland from agency Igniyte.

And what’s really interesting about this one, is how much it clearly affects the reputation those brands have with their retailers too, so don’t’ miss it...

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Welcome to the kbbreview Podcast, this is episode 14 of season three with your host Andy Davies.

Today we’re talking installation – the continuing high demand in retail is putting enormous pressure on existing installers and highlighting even more the critical shortage of quality new installers.

Put simply, there aren’t enough fitters to go round so is there anything retailers can do right now to fix this – spoiler alert, no – and what part can they play in making sure this never happens again.

We’ve got an absolutely fascinating discussion with the return of Damian Walters from the BiKBBI and Mark Conacher from Liberty Fitting Services. 

Don’t miss this one as we touch on so many things that directly affect everyone in the KBB sector.

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Welcome to The kbbreview Podcast, this is episode 13 of Season Three and we're back from our mid-season break with a very special episode looking at High Streets. 

Back in July the Government released a White Paper that unveiled its plans to revitalise the high street – looking at issues such as empty premises, how to support the retailers and businesses on the high street, the environment itself in terms of green spaces, graffiti and crime and several others.

]But will it work? Is the government focussing on the right things and is ‘the High Street’ as an entity a thing of the past and physical retail needs to be more creative in its approach.

We're talking about all this and more with top retail consultant Ian Scott.

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Welcome to the kbbreview Podcast – this is episode 12 of Season Three and it’s a bit of a unique one this week. Your host as always is Andy Davies and he’s bringing the show from his seat at Wembley Stadium during Sunday’ Euro 2020 final. 

It has nothing to do with the guests on the show but who cares.

We have a great interview with Jon Wallis, he runs Andy’s local independent kbb retailer WC One in Shortlands just outside Bromley. We hear all about his lockdown experience, the biggest issues currently affecting his business and plans for the future,

Then we hear from John Pickering, he’s the head of Miele in the UK and Ireland and he’s very candid about the brand’s successes, supply issues and online sales – don’t miss that one.

Plus, Andy does a poor Radio 5 Live impression as you get to hear that penalty shootout from inside the stadium…

The podcast is taking a mid-season break for two weeks while we catch ourselves up so we’ll see you in a fortnight!

And huge thanks to HiSense for their hospitality at Wembley.

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Welcome to the another very special bonus episode of the kbbreview podcast dedicated to the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards 2021.

We’re into July and that means we’re now counting down the weeks to the event and very exciting it is too.

As you may have heard, we’ve switched to a bigger venue by popular demand – it’s still in Liverpool, still on September the 15th, but we’re now in the iconic Liverpool Cathedral.

It’s an astonishing building, a true British landmark and a spectacular backdrop for what will be the biggest kbb industry post-lockdown party. In fact, it’s such an amazing place, we’ve decided to dedicate this whole bonus episode to finding out more about it.

We're talking to Brian Dowling, who is one of the official cathedral guides so what he doesn’t know about the place isn’t worth knowing – trust me, there are monkeys, circus dwarves and enormous bells, so don’t miss it.

Remember, you can book your seats and tables now at www.kbbreview.com/awards

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Welcome to the kbbreview Podcast, your host is Andy Davies as always and this is episode 11 of Season Three.

A couple of very diverse subjects today but both ultimately come down to the day-to-day running of your showroom.

First up we’re looking at water labels – again - last week the government announced that it is introducing a mandatory water efficiency label on products and that could not only make the retailer liable for displaying it but may also lead to the effective banning of water guzzling products.

We're getting all the current info from BMA CEO Tom Reynolds and Unified Water Label managing director Yvonne Orgill.

Then we’re looking into the continuation of the by-appointment-only scheme past the end of lockdown. Has this system, forced on many retailers by social distancing rules, turned out to be a game changer for how they operate in the future.

I’m talking to Ritchie Hanley from Ability Kitchens in Chester and Jo Geddes from Kitchens by JS Geddes in Kilmarnock.

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Welcome to the kbbreview Podcast, your host is Andy Davies and this is episode ten of season three.

Really interesting couple of features this week and we start with a chat with an appliance brand that is really mounting a serious challenge against the main players in the built-in market and that’s Samsung. We talk to channel manager Jonathan Hartley

Then we go straight to the shop floor and talk about recruitment. With so many retailers dealing with very high demand they’re desperate to recruit new skilled, experienced people who can hit the ground running- but those people are proving harder to find than a Harry Kane goal....

I’ll be talking recruitment with a couple of excellent retailers currently searching for staff – Elizabeth Pantling Jones from Lima Kitchens in Milton Keynes and friend-of-the-pod Luke Wedgbury from Coalville Kitchens in Leicester.

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

Excellent episode this week as we have an interview with a retailer who is not only one of the biggest independents in the UK but also one of the most consistently impressive and that’s Kitchens International in Scotland.

They’ve just been acquired by James Donaldson & Sons so we find out all about that from Brand Director Paul O’Brien. We’ll also hear about their plans to seriously do bathrooms AND to extend their showroom network out of Scotland and into the rest of the UK.

We also find out about their lockdown experience and how Paul sees the market going forward so it’s all really insightful stuff from one of the best retailers out there – don’t’ miss it!

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Welcome to the kbbreview Podcast, your host as always is Andy Davies and you’re listening to episode eight of season three.

Today we bring you a great episode that sees the return of friend-of-the-show David Barker from marketing specialists Inspire KBB.

In particular today we’re talking about long term marketing plans for KBB retailers. Demand is high, dealing with short term issues is top of the list so why and how should retailers be looking at their plans way off into the future?

We’ll get all the tips and advice from David.

Don't forget to subscribe using a podcast app such as Apple Podcasts to make sure you don't miss future episodes. Simply search 'kbbreview' in your app of choice and you'll find us.

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Welcome to the kbbreview Podcast, this is episode 7 of season three with your host as always Andy Davies.

It’s a very special episode this week as we're talking to Mark Millar, the host of the recent Channel 5 show dedicated to this very sector Dream Kitchens and Bathrooms.

You probably know Mark best from DIY SOS on the BBC and we also talk about how that show is one of the few on TV that shows tradespeople as being skilled, dedicated, professionals.

YOu can find out more about Dream Kitchens & Bathrooms at https://www.channel5.com/show/dream-kitchens-bathrooms-with-mark-millar/

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