In 1976, after leaving school without a qualification to my name, I was ushered quickly into a path chosen for me by a disappointed father anxious to ensure that his was not to be the only pay packet funding my future.

I was asked what trade I'd like to train for at our local Salford Council Direct Works Department - plasterer, plumber or painter and decorator - and I can still hear my old man urging a quick answer from me while covering up the phone mouthpiece.

Why I chose plumber I don't know apart from an assumption that the other two options seemed a little messy and working with water appeared a more attractive proposition than arriving home covered in paint or plaster dust.

To my surprise I enjoyed it. It beat French and Maths hands down and I wasn't confined to attending university lectures like most of my peers.

After obtaining my City & Guilds and finishing my apprenticeship I had become a fully fledged plumbing mechanical engineer. I was now capable of fitting bathroom suites, central heating systems and washing machines on my own as a time-served tradesman.

Opportunity knocks

Ironically I had only been a new member of the plumbing fraternity for a year before another opportunity arose. I'd answered an advert seeking a plumber and joiner to team up to travel around the North installing fitted kitchens. For the next 28 years up to the present day I've known no other profession than kitchens and I consider the experiences and knowledge I've gained along the way as providing me with an ability to assist and educate those who know little or nothing when choosing a kitchen.

Looking back I was lucky to have the luxury of being able to walk into a trade, free of the sufferance's endured by teenagers eager to do the same. So - to throw my hat in the ring after the debate surrounding Diane Berry's article in the kbbreview July edition - I completely agree with a business philosophy that saw her achieve the Master Retailer Award for Kitchens: decide what your expertise is, build on it and become the best at it.

I'm not sure how she has formed her opinions on the components she decided to offer but I'll wager that customer, installer and staff feedback played a huge part.

Consider those components; be they appliances, worktops, cabinetry or accessories and then consider the manufacturer's record with the retailer over the years. Was the service they provided a good one? Did they fail to come up to scratch on any occasion their input was required and, most importantly, was the quality of their goods reflected in the lack of issues reported by clients?

Throw also into the mix feedback from the fitters who are at the frontline. For example are the components they are asked to install fitter friendly? Are the plans provided by designers easy to comprehend and are they practical?

I guess also that she's been hounded by a host of manufacturers and suppliers hoping to become part of the success story and I guess she's thwarted the ambition of many to do so.

The criterion for Diane is a strict one yet it's a formula proven to work and my belief is that it does so because she is not only a specialist in her chosen profession but because her experience and knowledge render her an expert.

It may seem a brave decision not to diversify from her chosen expertise but why would she want to?

To draw a comparison; I'm a plumber by trade yet I know little about bathrooms or fitted bathroom components and must bow to the better judgement of those who plied their trade in bathrooms for many years. I could very easily set up a bathroom website tomorrow but due to my lack of expertise and knowledge of the industry I'd be exposed pretty quickly, I guess, and that would affect the success we strive for.

On the same ruling I could succumb to offering Weetabix style cabinets on our website, cheap and inefficient appliances or poor quality worktops yet I'd be doing myself and my visitors a disservice by offering components that my experience tells me are not good for my clients or for our reputation.

Restrict your range

I'm not professing that we should put all our eggs in one basket but more suggesting that we use our specialist skills honed by experience to identify the brands and products that generate positive feedback from all quarters. If that means offering only two appliance brands, two brands of worksurface and one kitchen brand then I see this as diversifying within your specific area of expertise to enhance your reputation.

It's my belief that deep research, education and knowledge about products are vital if you are to contemplate selling them. It's a matter of opinion whether it's a good thing to broaden our horizons still further by extending what we offer when sales slow down but I'm a firm believer in sticking with what you know and trust is best. It might be wise to reflect on what can happen to the bigger stores, Woolworths and MFI for instance, who stocked everything but didn't actually specialise in anything. B&Q on the other hand, employ tradespeople with an expert knowledge of their products do they not?

Oh, and my misconceptions that plumbing was a cleaner trade were literally shoved down my throat when a week after embarking on my new career I found myself down an 18ft drop shaft, rodding drains to clear a huge blockage virtually backing up a whole estate - I'll let you guess the rest.

Tim Foley is the founder of www.kitchensfitted.co.uk

What do you think? Email the editor: andrew@kbbreview.com