Middleby Residential has re-opened its Aga showroom in Oundle, Peterborough, as a new co-branding space that displays six of its appliance brands.
The redesigned 3,000 sq ft showroom space previously just displayed Aga products, but now also houses appliances under the Novy, La Cornue, Aga Outdoors, Josper and Kamadojoe brands. In total, there are 51 individual products on display, which are spread across two floors.
Middleby Residential’s global president, Najib Maalouf addressed visitors at the showroom’s grand opening. He explained that the launch of the co-branding showroom follows on from experimenting with a similar strategy at Aga’s Harrogate store, which trialled displays of La Cornue cookers and Evo grills.
He also said that the Oundle showroom sets a record for the brand for the number of brands displayed within a single store. He also explained: “This store is more than a store with a catchment area, it serves two other purposes. It serves as support for the sales effort and marketing into other channels, and it serves as a support for project bases, especially for luxury business like La Cornue which involves a lot of reselling and give-and-take, so this is a good place for that.”
“We’re a unique collection of luxury brands, and there’s nothing comparable to that really in the entire world. And with the expanse of our portfolio, we’re the largest by far. We’re very proud of this composition, and we want to do it justice.”
Maalouf also said that in the future, his goal is to eventually have a showroom that can show off the entirety of Middleby’s brand portfolio. However, he added: “Middleby Residential comprises 21 brands, so we’ve got a long way to go before we can find a space that gives a representation of all of those brands”.
Discussing the company’s next steps, he revealed that Middleby is now considering opening a similar experience centre in the nation’s capital. “It’s time to head back to London,” he said, adding, “Our next stop will be an experiential store, one that’s in the London area, which truly represents who we’ve become. I hope to be in Knightsbridge, but we’ll see if we’re lucky enough to get such a nice location.”
Earlier this year, Najib Maalouf also featured as The kbbreview Interview in the July 2024 issue of kbbreview Magazine. He discussed the company’s plans for key brands Rangemaster, AGA, La Cornue and Novy and what those plans mean for its UK retailers.