| ADVICE: Contingency planning If anything has been proved in last few weeks it's that no matter how solid your plans are, no business can predict the future. Writing for kbbreview, Steve Jennings from Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank says the unpredictable does not have to become the unmanageable... | |
| PROFILE: V-ZUG Premium Swiss appliance brand V-ZUG has embarked on a major UK product launch. Tim Wallace considers its strategy in a tightening market. | |
| PROFILE: Jones & Company Tim Wallace takes a tour of kitchen, bedroom and bathroom showroom Jones and Company, based in Salisbury, Wiltshire | |
| ANALYSIS: The shower market How is the crucial shower market faring in the current climate? AMA Research's latest report reveals all and Keith Taylor, company director, writes exclusively for kbbreview... | |
| PROFILE: John Lewis John Lewis' old-fashioned department store approach to retail manages to keep it one of the most trusted names on the High Street. In another kbbreview exclusive, Andrew Davies meets Matt Thomas, the company's central kitchen buyer... | |
| PROFILE: Birchwood Interiors Industry veteran Alan Simpson of Birchwood Interiors in Macclesfield tells Tim Wallace why retailers needn't panic over the downturn in the market | |
| ANALYSIS: "95% of reps out there should be shot..." Have standards among sales reps begun to slip? Or is there another side to the story? Tim Wallace hears views from across the growing industry divide | |
| PROFILE: Bath House Tim Wallace travels to Dublin to visit the winner of this year's kbbreview Showroom Award for Bathrooms... | |
| PROFILE: Peter Thompson of York Boasting an on-site factory, Peter Thompson of York specialises in handmade furniture for the top end of the market. Tim Wallace tours its unorthodox showroom | |
| PROFILE: JJO Amid tough times for the market, Richard Proctor of kitchen, bedroom and bathroom specialist JJO, tells Tim Wallace why it's important to balance your portfolio... | |
| ANALYSIS: Presentation areas A good presentation can make or break a sale, so why do approaches vary so widely? Tim Wallace gets the views of a cross section of kbb retailers... | |
| PROFILE: Neville Johnson With over 45 years in the trade, Neville Johnson is a kitchen industry stalwart, entrepreneur and pioneer. He's also not afraid to speak his mind but he's never done a trade press interview - until now. Editor Andrew Davies went to meet him... | |
| ANALYSIS: The Blum Age Explorer Suit Rebecca Nottingham visits Blum to trial the company's Age Explorer suit - a practical simulation of the effects of age on the body... | |
| ANALYSIS: 50+ market People in the 50+ age bracket are among the wealthiest in the UK, but are you doing enough to secure sales from these 'grey pound' spenders? | |
| PROFILE: Roger Cooper As the 2009 kbbreview Industry Awards kick off, Andrew Davies meets the 2008 Special Achievement Award winner - Roger Cooper. After 38 years with Ideal Standard just what has kept him loyal, and what does the future hold? | |
| PROFILE: The Yard and Kitchens International To coincide with the launch of the 2009 Industry Awards, we talk to this year's kitchen and bathroom master retailers and get their candid views on how to run a successful business... | |
| PROFILE: Chris Honer, BCG Chris Honer is the new md of BCG, the distribution giant formerly known as Broughton Crangrove. We went to meet him on the eve of the company's 'Big Tour'... | |
| PROFILE: Tubs and Tiles, Coventry Finding the right brand mix isn't always easy, especially if you're lucky enough to have a big showroom. Ashley Heath of Coventry-based bathroom specialist Tubs and Tiles tells Tim Wallace why it's taken time to find a winning formula... | |
| ANALYSIS: Consumer direct complaints Consumer Direct received a total of 4,326 kitchen and bathroom related complaints in the first three months of 2008. Tim Wallace investigates why, and assesses what can be done about it... | |
| ANALYSIS: Computer aided design Thanks to advancements in technology there is now an abundance of computer aided design software available for the kbb industry. We had a look at the market for the latest products on offer.... | |
| PROFILE: City Kitchens in Canterbury City Kitchens in Canterbury doesn’t have CAD, it doesn’t have a website, it doesn’t advertise and it turns away many of its customers. So where did it all go right? Tim Wallace took a look around... | |
| PROFILE: Daval UK manufacturers are under constant pressure from overseas competition and rising costs. Rebecca Nottingham went to meet Daval and hear about its survival plan... | |
| PROFILE: Waterside Bathrooms and Kitchens, Doncaster After 19 years with Spanish bathroom giant Porcelanosa, Lisa Needham has decided to launch a retail business of her own. Tim Wallace takes a tour of Waterside Bathrooms & Kitchens in Doncaster... | |
| ANALYSIS: 'Don't panic' over new wiring rules Not for the first time, new regulations on electrical wiring seem to have caught kbb retailers unawares. But after the traumas of Part P, Tim Wallace finds the message now is not to panic... | |
| FACTS: The 31 banned practices in new consumer protection laws The new Consumer Protection Laws contain 31 specific banned practices - here they are | |
| ANALYSIS: New consumer protection laws New laws that came into force at the end of May are designed to protect the consumer from cowboys - but how does it affect the average retailer? Writing for kbbreview, solicitors Poppy Williams and Paul Burnley take a look into the details... | |
| FACTS: The Expo top ten We run down the need-to-know facts about London's biggest kitchen, bedroom and bathroom trade show... | |
| INTERVIEW: Mark Pearson, show manager, kbbreview Expo We talk to the man behind the key London kitchen, bedroom and bathroom trade show... | |
