Sales of furniture fittings will bear a direct correlation to the levels of furniture sales, but there are some anomalies that give cause for optimism. Kbbreview speaks to David Sanders, sales and marketing director, Blum UK...

Manufacturers are not looking to compete on price any longer. Adding value through product quality and performance is the fighting way forward for those imaginative enough to realise it, no matter at what market level they operate.

Storage continues to increase in profile as a sales issue, as does more careful kitchen planning – the two go hand in hand. Good storage planning means getting the best use from the internal volume of the furniture cabinet. This not only means being able to store more, but also increases physical and visual access to all items.

Fixed shelves in base units should be a thing of the past for any modern cabinet furniture manufacturer. Proper use of full-extension drawers and internal pull-outs is where fittings manufacturers and furniture manufacturers must work together to mutual benefit.

Then there is the important area of optimum organisation of stored items, in kitchens particularly.

While this all adds up to increased unit sales of fittings, it also allows manufacturers to increase the value, with the individual allure of their designs equating to better margins.

Motion and ease of use have become accepted advantages in selling modern furniture. Soft-close is pretty standard across most brands and the more progressive are now offering options of automatic open-and-close mechanisms and the effortless movement of doors – especially on overhead cabinets – and drawers, where load-bearing capacities have never been heavier.

While it has predominantly been kitchen furniture that has driven the innovation and technologies in advanced fittings and systems, these versatile designs are clearly demonstrating their ability to transfer and add value to all other types of cabinet furniture with marked growth in the bathroom, bedroom and living room areas.

In Britain, there is still a strong market for rich timber facades and now, with special runners developed for wooden drawers, specifiers and architects are taking note and we’re seeing strengthening demand for high-performance fittings in the leisure and hotel sectors.

In a sluggish market, furniture fittings are being seen and used to stimulate sales with added value. Furniture fittings are the new drivers for the future of the KBB sectors.