BKNC’s new showroom in The Business Design Centre, London allows the kitchen company to share real estate with the UK’s largest home and hospitality exhibitions, creating new opportunities with exciting clients.
With BKNC already having one of the biggest UK-based Nolte, Keller and KWKI Living retail spaces with its Wrexham showroom, the opening of a new Specification Centre in London is shrewd business strategy.
The Business Design Centre in Islington is home to exhibitions such as the Surface Design Show, Hix, and New Designers — a contributing factor in BKNC’s decision to open there. “These shows give BKNC a great networking opportunity to meet clients we would normally struggle to interact with,” explains deputy managing director Harry Ruler. The showroom isn’t necessarily about increasing retail space, either. Size doesn’t matter. “This isn’t what the BKNC Specification Centre is about,” Ruler explains. “We show a small selection of our market-leading products, which we feel are slightly unique to mainstream suppliers.”
So, how did the team go about creating the new space? “Designing a showroom isn’t easy, there are many opinions and ideas to consider,” says Ruler. “BKNC are a close working team so it’s difficult to put one name to the design of the showroom, but our lead designer Hayden Price created all designs and put the ideas into working kitchen displays. Our bespoke displays were put together in partnership with Olley and Guise Ltd.”
There is no set demographic for the showroom. Instead, BKNC would rather utilise and showcase its extensive product portfolio. “We are able to supply kitchens from £10,000 to £150,000, and this flexibility in quality kitchen furniture attracts a wide range of clients,” says Ruler. “If we were to target a defined demographic it would certainly be interior designers and specifiers who are looking for something different within the contract or interior design market.”
The design team has opted for a relaxed feeling for the showroom, so to attract clients from all areas of the industry. Ruler explains: “These kitchens have received incredible compliments and feedback from interior designers and end users alike. Our black and solid wood Keller display is an eye catcher with a beautiful black and vein Quartz worktop. The carbon neutral credentials of the Keller product is also a unique selling point.”
The five main displays are all different and showcase BKNC’s diverse offering. “The schemes and projects we’ve developed since opening the showroom has surpassed our expectations,” says Ruler. “We have supplied some of the most beautiful kitchens BKNC has ever produced through our relationships made at the Business Design Centre. The BKNC Specification Centre has become a hub in London for existing clients but has also given us a platform to network with some incredible designers, architects, and like-minded industry people.”
