“We’ve just finished up Season NINE of The kbbreview Podcast! Just in case you missed any episodes, here they all are for your persual. There’s some great insight, advice, tips and opinion in here so I really recommend taking a look and jumping in with both ears. I’d love to hear your feedback so feel free to drop me a line – [email protected]“
Andy Davies
10. The pros and cons of consumer finance
All the big sheds do it but it’s still a pretty rare thing for independents. So why is this, are they missing out, is it all too onerous, what’s the cost, and how much do you need to do? Listen with the player below or go straight to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.
9. What’s going on with recruitment?
Recruitment is a real bellwether for the health of the sector but it’s a really a hard thing to read – despite redundancies and job losses, there are still vacancies that can’t be filled. Why? Listen with the player below or go straight to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube
8. The pros and cons of employing installers
Why don’t more retailers employ their fitters directly? Using subs mean you can grow or shrink the workforce as you need it, but is it better to have more control over their time? Listen with the player below or go straight to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube
7. How to win the industry’s biggest awards
The kbbreview Retail & Design Awards 2024 is the biggest in the industry, but what are they all about, who can enter, what are the categories and what are our top tips for winning entries? Listen with the player below or go straight to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.
6. The influence of the installer
Just how much influence does the bathroom installer have on the choices the consumer makes about their project? It’s much more than you think and it starts much earlier in the buying process than you think… Listen with the player below or go straight to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.
5. How to get an apprentice
When you ask people why they haven’t got any apprentices, the most common reply is that they simply don’t know where to start…so we answer that very question and many more. Listen with the player below or go straight to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.
4. Packaging (and who’s responsible for it)
Every KBB project you do generates loads of packaging waste. Who is actually responsible for it, and what’s being done to reduce it? Hint: the law is changing and it will affect you…Listen with the player below or go straight to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.
3. Resolving customer disputes
With such a focus on customer service, genuine disputes with clients are rare with kbb retailers, but when things do go wrong, it can be an awful experience. What are the options available to you and where do you start? Listen with the player below or go straight to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.
2. Inside Howdens
We get a peek behind the curtain at the company that sells more kitchens than anyone else in the UK by a mighty margin – Howdens. How do they do it and is there anything independents can learn from them? Listen with the player below or go straight to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.
1. Roger Cooper
Retiring after an amazing 53 years in the bathroom industry, Roger is a hugely experienced figure and as the market enters a period of turmoil, the chance to pick his brains one more time was too good to miss. Listen with the player below or go straight to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.
AWARDS BONUS: Richard Sloan, Sonas Bathrooms
In this first special bonus episode we’ll be catching up with Richard Sloan, the CEO of our 2024 award Podcast Partner Sonas Bathrooms. They joined us for the 2023 awards not long after launching in the UK following decades of success in their native Ireland. So we’ll be finding out from Richard how they’re getting on and what he thinks of the current tricky market.. Listen with the player below or go straight to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.
BONUS: The customer journey with Cyncly – part two
This is the second part of our special series in association with Cyncly. We pick the journey up after the customer has said yes and how these Cyncly software packages can then be used to tweak, hone and adjust the details to get to that final sign off. Listen with the player below or go straight to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.
BONUS: The Lawcris sustainability story
We talk to leading distributor Lawcris about a subject that is shaping, guiding and creating the business now and into the future – and that’s sustainability. It’s a huge topic, but so, so important and this is a great case study of how one company is not just on it’s own journey, but also how – as a distributor – it is learning and passing on the best practices of those above and below it in the chain. Listen with the player below or go straight to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.
BONUS: The Wharf story
We meet Wharf, the solid surface supplier that’s the brainchild of two old school friends who once mucked around in class, but together now run a very successful and innovative company – while still having lots of laughs along the way. We’ll be meeting Rob Bullen and Trevor Baker, who say that solid surface is long overdue a renaissance in the kitchen specialist arena. Listen with the player below or go straight to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.
BONUS: The customer journey with Cyncly – part one
Just how essential are Cyncly design packages like Winner for kitchens and Virtual Worlds for bathroom in the day-to-day running of a showroom? It’s easy to think of these things as technical bits of software but the truth is they are the tools of the trade and when they’re working at their best, they not only make the designer’s job much easier, but also the customer journey much smoother. Listen with the player below or go straight to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.
BONUS: The Hanex UK story
Hanex is, of course, the solid surface from global manufacturing giant Hyundai. And, here, its official distributor is Hanex UK. Based in Southampton, they work with fabricators, architects, interior designers and, of course, kitchen and bathroom retailers and designers to specify its wide range of colours and applications. Given the global reach of the Hanex brand, the Hanex UK story is actually a very personal one of family, friendship, ambition and determination and we hear it from managing director Jake Naylor and contracts manager Fraser Moon. Listen with the player below or go straight to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.