Wren, Clough Road

Billed as 'Hull's largest kitchen showroom', Wren certainly had plenty of displays neatly arranged in a sizeable modern unit.
Everything from a gloss-white kitchen with citrus yellow accent doors to traditional painted wood was on display. There were plenty of colourful props - plastic lemons, plastic lavender, you know the sort of thing - and carefully fanned leaflets spelling out Wren's installation service and price promise 'we'll beat any quote'.
There was a kids' corner with TV and beanbags and a run of Perspex-fronted units to show the interior storage arrangements. All very neat and tidy if a little lacking in character. Until David bounced up. He talked enthusiastically about the company before showing me three base units from Wren, Wickes and Magnet. He pointed out the benefits of the Wren unit (solid assembly, not flat-pack), metal drawer boxes and coordinated carcass trims. And he stressed that everything was made down the road in Howden. We chatted about appliances. "We do our own range which does the job," he explained. "But if you want that bit extra we do Neff and Bosh."
As I left, David suggested I take a look at the Wren website where I could have a go at designing my own kitchen before our next meeting.

Service: 4. Showroom: 4. Score 8/10
Bright showroom, bubbly service

Keil Bathrooms, Holderness Road

Although small, the Keil bathroom showroom was neat and tidy and Malcolm Keil greeted me the moment I stepped through the door.
"As you can see, we only sell the best brands - Jacuzzi, Grohe, Sottini, Vitra. We stick to what's reliable," he explained opening and shutting a heavy glass door on a Roman shower enclosure to demonstrate. We chatted about my bathroom and Malcolm pulled a bundle of letters out of his briefcase, all from enthusiastic customers thanking Malcolm and his son, who is a fitter, for their new bathrooms.
"We've been in business for 40 years, so we must be doing something right," he said before explaining what that something was. "The job's done properly, dust sheets down, all the mess taken away and a proper professional finish." Malcolm also mentioned that he likes to pop down during the job to see how it's going and again at the end to make sure the customer is happy with the result.
As I left, he pointed out a series of certificates pinned to the wall detailing various installer qualifications, plus the Trust Mark certificate. "We're the only showroom in Hull with that," he said proudly.

Service: 4. Showroom: 3. Score 7/10
Good old-fashioned service

Kitchens on Tap, Hedon Road

This showroom was in a large industrial unit on a busy road with a big bold sign obviously designed to entice customers in.
However, when I arrived a handwritten note saying 'back in five minutes' had been taped to the door. I tried the handle and, as it was open, went in where I found John sat at a desk. I mentioned the sign, but he just shrugged, so I wandered off to inspect the displays. The few rather tired kitchens were dusty and not brilliantly executed, there was sealant showing in the joins of one worktop and in another the cornice had been badly cut, leaving visible gaps.
Two 'new' gloss kitchens - one red, one black - did not look good against pale blue walls and a navy carpet. Nor were they enhanced by some random, totally uncoordinated props, including a pale pink cake stand and some yellow plates. These looked as if someone had brought them in from home and stuck them on the displays as an afterthought.
John continued to sit at his desk, he didn't ask any questions or volunteer any information. If he was expecting the displays to sell themselves, they failed miserably.

Service: 1. Showroom: 2. Score 3/10
Very poor

Bathrooms 4 All, Reed Street

The bright logo and large well-stocked windows left passers-by in absolutely no doubt as to what's in store.
Inside was equally bright and there was plenty of choice and plenty of discounts. When I visited, there were 20%-off stickers on virtually everything and bold notices in primary colours spelling out the Bathrooms 4 All five-point sales pitch, which included a flexible payment plan, price match promise and lifetime guarantee.
Sarah asked if I needed help and I explained I was looking for a shower enclosure, but didn't have much space. She showed me a couple of compact units pointing out a bi-fold door and even getting inside one cubicle to demonstrate the space. We also looked at a shower bath before Sarah flicked through the sizeable catalogue, pointing out how the pages were colour-coded, making it easy for me to find particular items.
Sarah suggested I take in a floor plan, so she could help me make the most of my space and said she could recommend three fitters, if needed, and suggested I meet with them all to see who I got on with best. "Don't pay too much attention to the prices in the catalogue," she said. "We always have a few discounts in store and we'll come up with a package price for you anyway."

Service: 3. Showroom: 3. Score 6/10
Bright, colourful but lacking in character

Mulberry, National Avenue

Situated on one of Hull's many trading estates, the big windows, blue painted porch and navy and gold sign set the tone for this classy showroom with its classic displays of solid wood and painted kitchens.
I mentioned to Colleen that I liked the painted look, but would like a modern twist, so she pulled out an image of a stunning kitchen with charcoal painted base units. "This is lovely," she said. "Ideally I would like to put something like this in the window." Colleen then showed me a neatly presented folder containing photos of kitchens Mulberry had installed alongside the original CAD drawings.
Asking about appliances, Colleen walked me round the showroom pointing out various ovens, including a built-in steam oven and a coffee machine. She took the door off a Neff model to show me how easy it would be to clean before demonstrating an induction hob. "I was dedicated to gas cooking, but I've had one of these at home since November and now I wouldn't go back," she said.
As I left, Colleen explained that it would be her business partner Geoff who would come to my house to measure up and introduced us.

Service: 4. Showroom: 4. Score 8/10
Colleen demonstrated a genuine interest in what she was selling

Kitchens by Design, Holderness Road

Kitchens by Design has two showrooms in Hull owned by Gary and Sara Sutton. The couple's original shop is in Boothferry Road, but unfortunately when I was in town I visited the showroom in Holderness Road, only to find no one was there.
The showroom, on a pleasant road opposite East Park, is above an electrical retailer. As I walked up the stairs, one of the salesmen called out: "There's no one in today, but it's OK to look around and if you leave your number, I can get them to give you a ring."
Upstairs I found some neat Crown kitchen displays, a rack of worktop samples and a room at the back dedicated to appliances, with one wall covered in built-in single and double ovens from a variety of manufacturers, including Bosch, Beko, Baumatic and AEG.
Another room looked like an office and although the door was wide open I didn't feel I should poke about too much in there. Local radio was playing a little too loudly for my liking, but otherwise this was a pleasant enough showroom apart from the fact that there was no one to show me round.

Service: 1. Showroom: 3. Score 4/10
Sorry I didn't meet the team

WINNER'S PROFILE: Mulberry

Colleen joined Mulberry in 2003 to help design the company website. She started selling the upmarket kitchens in 2006 and is now business partner with Geoff Chivers, who handles the design side of the business.
"I love my job," she says. "It's wonderful to be able to transform people's homes, we all really enjoy what we do."
Colleen and Geoff are rightly proud of their showroom and their customer service, promoting the business in the local paper and glossy regional magazine The Journal. Customers also come through recommendation.
"We're a successful business because of the range we offer and our product knowledge. We regularly attend Neff training courses and this experience gives customers confidence in our expertise. We're a happy team and I think it shows."