Most listened to episode: Why is it so hard to get clients over the line and commit to the sale?

Published: October 23

Our regular panel of Trevor Scott, Liz Pantling-Jones, Nick Warrington and Justine Bullock dig into one of the most frustrating challenges facing independent KBB retailers right now – getting customers to actually commit.

You’ve done the design work, nailed the presentation, and picked out the perfect products — but when it comes to signing on the dotted line the decision is delayed and delayed. So what’s really behind this growing hesitation? Are clients genuinely nervous about money, or just lost in a fog of indecision? And more importantly, what can you actually do to move them from “thinking about it” to “let’s do it”?

In this episode, we unpack the psychology behind customer procrastination and explore whether this signals a deeper shift in buyer confidence — or simply a need for sharper sales skills. How do you balance being a trusted designer with being a confident closer? Where’s the line between patience and persuasion?

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2: Interview – John Sims-Hilditch, co-founder of Neptune

Published: July 15

Neptune has grown from a humble start in the 1990s to become one of the UK’s most distinctive premium home and kitchen brands. With around 30 of its own showrooms and 80 more retail partners it has become one of the largest independent kitchen retail networks in the UK with little fanfare.

And ‘brand’ is the most important word. Neptune, as far as co-founder John Sims-Hilditch is concerned, means something more than just a logo or a name, it is a philosophy that permeates every aspect of the business.

Andy went to meet him at the company’s impressive HQ and showroom just outside Swindon…

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3: Interview: Scott & Ben Slater, founders of Kesseler

Published: July 29

Andy meets with brothers Scott and Ben Slater and their company Kesseler. A really interesting British kitchen manufacturer AND retailer. Started about 15 years ago as a straight supplier, they moved into their own retail franchising brand just a few years ago and now have nearly 20 showrooms across the country.

As we have discussed on this very podcast before franchising is really building a significant momentum – Kutchenhaus, Nolte, Schmidt, and Magnet are just a few but Kesseler is slightly different as it is distinctly British.

But that’s not all, as we will here, they also run Online Bedrooms.co.uk – an increasingly successful brand that sells fitted bedroom furniture, well, online.

So how have they done it? What’s their strategy? How do you build a retail brand from scratch? And how many Kesseler showrooms do they actually want? Such an interesting story from two real forward-thinkers!

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4: Interview: Dominic Worsley, Aga Rangemaster

Published: October 7

When it comes to brands with long and illustrious histories it doesn’t get more long and illustrious than Aga Rangemaster and in this is a very special bonus episode of the show we’re talking to MD Dominic Worsley.

The Aga is as English as Stephen Fry drinking tea, eating fish and chips wearing a bowler hat under a brolly in a drizzle and there are very few kitchen retailers out there that haven’t stocked Rangemaster at some point in their existence. 

And now after a few uncertain years, they’re having a resurgence under Worsley. Formerly of Miele and then CDA he has been tasked by parent company Middleby to put these classic brands back on the map.

So how’s he going to do it, what are his plans and where do independent kitchen studios sit in them?

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5: Should retailers pay for displays?

Published: February 25

In this first episode of Season 14, we asked a panel of retailers who they thought should foot the bill for displays – the retailer or the supplier?

Why do some brands offer ‘free’ displays and others not? What are the pros and cons for the retailer? And if they’re paying, how much control should brands therefore have on what you display? Are suppliers fundamentally underestimating the value of showroom real estate and, for that matter, exactly how retailers use those displays to sell?

We talk it all through with Tina Riley from Modern Homes, Lisa Kyme from Ripples London, and Gary Nolan from marketing agency Pure Visibility.

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6: Interview: Phil Cole, Clive Christian

Published: June 17

This was a great interview episode, where we spoke to Phil Cole, the co-owner of Clive Christian.  Founded in 1978, it has become one of the few well-known kitchen brands in the ultra luxury arena – certainly in the traditional style. 

It’s had it’s ups and downs though as we will hear, going into administration in April 2022. That’s where the then global sales director Phil Cole bought the company with Jim Denos – the owner of the US operations.

So we’ll hear all about that, how the luxury market is performing, what people expect for the kind of costs they deal in, how discretion is a valuable skill, finding skilled artisans, how to keep growing and lots and lots more.

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7: The changing industry: The supplier

Published: September 18

How have kitchen and bathroom suppliers changed in the last five years?

The kbbreview Podcast is back with Andy Davies and our panel of regular retailers – Justine Bullock, Liz Pantling-Jones, Trevor Scott and Nick Warrington.

Last week we explored how the consumer has changed since Covid, and this time we’re flipping the focus: how have suppliers changed?

From pricing and terms to service, support, marketing and partnerships, we dig into the shifts shaping today’s market – and yes, expect a little healthy friction along the way.

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8: Interview: Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen

Published: July 22

We meet the legendary interior designer to talk about his new kitchen range and his (very candid) thoughts on design and retail. In this episode, we spoke with Changing Rooms legend Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen – but of course we’re doing him a massive disservice by limiting his extensive career to just that one show, no matter how impactful it was.

He was – and is – an extremely accomplished interior designer of course, but he has also been educating the public about design on TV for, brace yourself, nearly 30 years – Changing Rooms started in 1996.

After a bit of back-and-forth with manufacturers, he has just designed and launched his own kitchen range – called Quintessential – specifically for independent kitchen showrooms and, as you’ll hear in this interview, he LOVES independent kitchen showrooms.

It’s all brilliant stuff and it’s clear that he really does love design and what it can achieve if done properly and with conviction so we really can’t recommend this one highly enough!

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9: How to be a freelance designer

Published: March 25

This episode we’re delving into a subject that, slowly but surely, is becoming more common – freelance KBB designers.

They’re not retailers in the classic definition of the word, they don’t have showrooms, but they will design kitchens or bathrooms for their clients – and those clients could be consumers, developers, interior design, architects or, indeed, time-poor KBB retailers.

So why go freelance? How does it work? Who are the customers and where do they find them? How do relationships with suppliers work? And with so many KBB retailers wishing they could charge for designs, how do they sell the service?

This is a really insightful conversation with three top designers already doing it – Darren Morgan, Alina Tacutanu and Anna Rock and if you run a showroom, you really need to hear their views.

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10: InstallerSHOW LIVE: How’s business?

Published: June 24

We did a snapshot survey of retailers a couple of months ago and the results were very mixed. Nearly a quarter said they’re more confident than ever about the health of their business, while one in five said they are worried or extremely worried about the future of their business…

Nearly half said they expected the market to get better before the end of the year, but 15% still say they think the market will get worse in 2025.

So what’s going on?

Joining Andy today were top retailers, and friends of the show Trevor Scott from RFK in Rugby; Tina Riley from Modern Homes in Leamington Spa; Luke Wedgbury from Coalville Kitchens in Coalville and Liz Pantling-Jones from Lima Kitchens in Milton Keynes.