Successful first KBBG & KBSA regional event

The KBBG and KBSA came together on 14 October for the first of three regional business development events.

Sixty KBB retailers and suppliers attended the all-day session at The  Belfry Hotel & Resort, which was designed to offer practical strategies that they could apply directly  to their businesses. The event was made possible by the generous support of sponsors AEG, 1810, Beckermann Küchen and PWS.  

The day started with Luke Wedgbury, KBSA Managing Director, who welcomed delegates  with the theme ‘Steady the Ship, Set the Course’. Richard Hibbert, KBBG Managing Director later delivered a State of the Nation.

And Niall Daly, founder of Clearing Space Ltd and Programme  Director for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses UK programme, facilitated the session and  led the delegates in discussion and workshops.

Luke said to retailers, “The state of the market and the potential of your business, they are not the  same thing. We might not be able to control interest rates and we can’t control consumer  confidence. But we can control how we run our individual businesses. We can control the service we  provide, the way we follow up enquiries and the experience customers receive in our showrooms. 

“We have every reason to be ambitious,” he added. “This opportunity isn’t simply to wait for the  economy to improve; it’s to act now. I want the KBSA to keep earning your support by  demonstrating it is listening and it is delivering. That’s something that we must build together.”

All delegates then took part in an interactive session led by Niall Daly. It focused on ‘the basics that  win’: cashflow, planning and the importance of protecting the profit when calculating margins. This was followed by a State of the Nation address from Richard Hibbert, KBBG Managing Director.

On the state of the market, Richard said, “A difficult market does not produce the same outcome for every business. It’s the same market, the same year, different results and the value is still with us. But none of that is a reason for complacency. It’s a reminder to focus and a reminder that relationships and execution still make a difference.” 

In relation to AI, Richard commented, “AI may write the shortlist, but your reputation decides whether you survive it. Getting on the list gets you through the door, now you have to win the room. AI will compare kitchens long before it buys one. That’s our opening: design judgement, project ownership, communication, installation and aftercare. Sell what AI can’t.”

Niall then facilitated a joint session with Sarah Reeve-Daly, Founder of Alon Interiors and  KBSA Board Member. Opening the discussion to the floor, they explored how independents can  compete and win against national retailers.

Sarah said, “When the consumer comes into our showroom, we thank them for coming in to  support a local business. This, in turn, supports our community and we take pride in that. We also  say to potential customers, the real value of an independent is the service we offer. We wouldn’t  have been trading for 18 years if we hadn’t done a really good job. And people keep coming back to  us because of that.”

The event continued with sessions on how to create opportunities in a changing market, concluding  with every delegate working towards a 90-Day Action Plan (which was available to download after the event).

Niall challenged each one to leave with no more than three priority actions, a named first  step, a deadline and an accountability commitment. In addition, throughout the day, there were  opportunities for delegates to catch up, share experiences and make new contacts over networking breaks.

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New designs and finishes lead wave of new launches from SONAS Bathrooms

SONAS Bathrooms, leading bathroom manufacturer, has unveiled the second edition of its 2026 brochure, introducing an extensive range of new products, designs and finishes for its retail partners across the UK and Ireland.

Building on the SONAS ‘Assured by Design’ philosophy, the new edition expands several key SONAS collections with the launch of LIVING Shower Door Enclosures, new LUMIERE Furniture, REED Collection extension through brassware and accessories, and a premium new Brushed Bronze finish across select product categories.

LIVING Shower Door Enclosure

Launched in 2025, the LIVING Collection was designed with flexibility in mind, offering retailers and designers a cohesive collection that can be easily displayed and specified. Now SONAS has expanded the range with the introduction of new LIVING Shower Door Enclosures.

Standing at 2000mm high with a minimalist 22–25mm frame, the new enclosures feature the collection’s distinctive pill-shaped design alongside 8mm Easy Clean glass and premium designer handles. Carefully considered details, including soft opening and soft closing on the sliding door option and concealed fixings for a clean look and easy care, combine contemporary styling with everyday practicality.

Available in Chrome, Matt Black, Brushed Gold, Brushed Nickel and the newly introduced Brushed Bronze, the new LIVING Shower Doors offer a choice of finishes to coordinate with the wider bathroom.

Introducing Brushed Bronze

SONAS has also introduced a new Brushed Bronze finish, bringing warmth, depth and character to contemporary bathroom schemes.

Offering a richer metallic option when creating a coordinate bathroom, the Brushed Bronze finish is available on the LIVING Collection URBAN Basin Mixer and URBAN Rain Thermostatic Shower, alongside LIVING Shower Doors and the ASHTON Towel Warmer. Coordinating ALITA Accessories, including the Robe Hook, Toilet Roll Holder and Towel Holder, allow the finish to be carried through to the smaller details of the bathroom.

The URBAN Basin Mixer, URBAN Rain Thermostatic Shower and ALITA Accessories feature a premium PVD Coating for enhanced durability and resistance to everyday wear.

REED Collection

The popular REED Collection has continued to expand, bringing together furniture, brassware, basins, bathing and accessories to offer a complete, coordinated bathroom solution.

LUMIERE is the latest furniture introduction within the REED Collection, featuring fluted glass-front vanity units with integrated drawer lighting. Available in 60cm and 80cm options and three distinctive colours, Lakeside Sage, Ruby Fern and Cobalt Night, LUMIERE can be paired with a choice of basin and countertop options to suit different bathroom designs.

The collection also includes MIRAGE Wetroom Panels and bath panels, REED Fluted Freestanding Bath, REED Countertop Basins, and REED brassware and accessories, giving retailers and designers greater flexibility to create a cohesive bathroom scheme.

Fluted coloured lever handles on the brassware and fluted detailing across the accessories echo the design language of the furniture, helping individual products work together as part of a considered whole.

The REED brassware range combines this coordinated approach with practical performance, including a 5 l/min water-saving aerator and cold-start cartridge to help reduce unnecessary hot water use. Interchangeable coloured handles can also be selected to complement the furniture, adding another opportunity to personalise the bathroom.

Richard Sloan, Chief Executive Officer at SONAS Bathrooms, reflected on this new brochure: “2026 is an ambitious year for our organisation as we continue to expand our presence in the UK, with a new distribution centre and a growing UK sales team. The second edition of our 2026 brochure builds on that momentum, giving our retail partners even more choice through new products, designs and finishes.

Our design and product teams have worked hard to create beautiful, practical, high-quality products that embody the ambition and direction of our business. I’m delighted to finally share them with our network of retail partners and look forward to seeing them bring these products to customers across the UK and Ireland.”

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BIFIS launches ‘Unplugged’ podcast

The British Institute of Fitted Interiors Specialists (BIFIS) is delighted to announce the launch BIFIS Unplugged, its official podcast channel, designed to create a platform for engaging, insightful and honest conversations with the people at the heart of the fitted interiors installation sector.

Launching this week, the first series, Industry Voices: Real Conversations from the Trade, explores the issues that matter to installers, drawing on the knowledge, experiences and perspectives of industry professionals to discuss the realities of working in the trade and running an installation business.

Hosted by BIFIS CEO Damian Walters, the series aims to get beyond the day-to-day headlines and explore the opportunities, challenges and decisions that shape the future of installation businesses, offering listeners practical insight and fresh perspectives from people who understand the industry firsthand.

The series opens with installation stalwart Irvine Bowie, who joins Damian Walters to tackle a question many installers will face during their careers: is growing an installation business beyond a sole trader operation really worth it?

The conversation explores the different routes to business growth, the potential benefits of expanding, and the realities that come with taking that next step. From the opportunities that growth can create to the pitfalls that can catch business owners out, the episode offers an honest look at what it takes to move beyond working for yourself and build a larger operation.

The discussion considers the practicalities, pressures and rewards involved, helping installers weigh up their options and make informed decisions about the future of their businesses.

BIFIS Unplugged reflects the institute’s ongoing commitment to supporting the fitted interiors installation sector through knowledge-sharing, professional development and stronger industry collaboration.

By bringing together experienced installers, business owners and the wider fitted interiors industry, the podcast will provide a platform to discuss the subjects that matter to the trade – from business development and working with retailers to innovation, skills and the future of installation.

Damian Walters, CEO of BIFIS, said “BIFIS Unplugged is about creating a space for genuine conversations with the people who know this industry best. Installers face real decisions every day, whether that’s how to grow their business, how to work more effectively with retailers or how to adapt to a changing industry. We want to explore those topics honestly, hear different perspectives and share experiences that other people in the trade can learn from. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to many of the challenges installers face, but there is real value in listening to people who have been there and done it.

BIFIS Unplugged is about exactly that – real conversations from the trade, for the trade.”

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Wren Contracts donates 481 laptops to charities

Wren Contracts has donated 481 Apple devices to charities across the UK, working with its housebuilder clients to turn updated technology into meaningful support for communities while giving the equipment a valuable second life.

The desktop computers, which are in excellent working order became available as part of Wren’s ongoing programme to maintain up-to-date technology across its showroom estate.

Rather than allowing usable equipment to go to waste, Wren Contracts worked with some of its housebuilder partners to identify charities where the devices could make a positive difference. The initiative supports Wren’s wider sustainability ambitions by extending the life of existing technology, reducing electronic landfill waste and supporting circular principles, while creating lasting social value.

Through Wren Contracts’ extensive relationships with Taylor Wimpey and Vistry, Wren Contracts facilitated the donation of 186 devices to their chosen charity Crisis, the national homelessness charity.

This donation is supporting Crisis in its vital work helping people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness, providing them with digital connectivity and access to essential services, education and employment opportunities, helping people rebuild their lives and secure a more stable and permanent future.

Dulal Ahmed, Director of Crisis’ London Skylight service, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Wren Contracts for their generous donation and for recognising the important role access to technology can play in helping people rebuild their lives. For someone experiencing homelessness, digital access can be vital – whether that’s searching for employment, accessing essential services, developing new skills or staying connected.

“These devices will make a real and practical difference to the people we support, and we would like to thank Wren Contracts, Taylor Wimpey and Vistry for helping make this possible.”

Extending the impact of its partnership with Taylor Wimpey, Wren Contracts has donated a further 120 devices to three charities supported by the housebuilder: EveryYouth, St Mungo’s (who last year helped more than 26,000 people suffering – or at risk of – homelessness) and leading school breakfast charity, Magic Breakfast, further extending their reach into more local communities.

Together, these donations will help support vulnerable young people, tackle homelessness and give disadvantaged children a better start to their school day, demonstrating how strong business partnerships can deliver meaningful benefits far beyond the construction industry.

Building on its established relationship as exclusive kitchen supplier to McCarthy & Stone, Wren Contracts has also donated 100 devices to the McCarthy & Stone Foundation. The devices are being sold to raise vital funds for the Foundation, supporting its mission to help grassroots charities and community groups improve the lives of older people, helping them remain connected, independent and actively involved in their communities.

Julia Laister, Head of McCarthy & Stone Foundation said: “We are extremely grateful to Wren Contracts for this generous donation. This is a fantastic example of how businesses can work together. The sale of these 100 devices will raise significant funds to help us reach and support more organisations tackling loneliness, promoting independence and improving the wellbeing of older people across the UK.”

Another 75 devices have been donated to the Digital Poverty Alliance, Barratt Redrow’s chosen charity, which works to end digital poverty by helping ensure people have access to devices, connectivity and the skills and support needed to participate in an increasingly digital world.

Elizabeth Anderson, CEO, Digital Poverty Alliance, said: “We are hugely grateful to Wren Contracts for this generous donation. Having access to a suitable device is essential in today’s increasingly digital world, yet too many people across the UK remain excluded from the opportunities that tech’ provides.

“By giving these devices a new lease of life, Wren is not only helping to tackle digital poverty, but enabling more people to access education, employment, essential services and the opportunities many of us take for granted.”

Damian Sheridan, Sales Director, Wren Contracts, said: “Creating lasting social value in the communities in which we work is extremely important to us. These devices still have plenty of life in them, so finding a way to reuse them while supporting some fantastic causes made absolute sense.

“Our relationships with our housebuilder customers have enabled us to make valuable introductions and direct much needed equipment to organisations where it can have a genuine impact. At the same time, extending the life of the devices rather than treating them as waste supports our commitment to a more circular and environmentally responsible way of working.

“We hope this is the beginning of further long-term charity partnerships with our customers, enabling us to continue supporting communities and causes where we can make a meaningful difference.”

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Tissino backs shower tray push with enhanced Lifetime Guarantee

Tissino is making shower trays a strategic priority for the business, backing an expanded offer with an enhanced Lifetime Guarantee as it looks to build a stronger position in one of the bathroom industry’s most overlooked product areas.

The move represents a shift away from launching individual trays in isolation towards a much broader focus on shower tray specification, with Tissino increasing choice across sizes, surfaces, finishes, performance requirements and design styles.

And the business is already putting weight behind that ambition. September has seen Tissino add several new options across its shower tray portfolio. Together, the launches broaden the offer across smooth surfaces, more design-led finishes and different levels of specification, giving retailers greater scope to respond to the way customers are now approaching showering spaces. 

Its ambition is straightforward: to make shower trays one of the product areas the industry immediately associates with Tissino.

Frazer Lewis, Sales Director at Tissino, says: “Shower trays probably aren’t the first product most people in our industry get excited about, but they are one of the products we really cannot afford to get wrong.

“They have a huge influence on the finished showering space. The tray affects the footprint, enclosure, drainage and installation, as well as what the customer will stand on every day for years. Yet it can still be treated as something to sort out once the more visible parts of the bathroom have been chosen. We think it deserves much more attention than that.”

Tissino’s shower tray collections are now supported by an enhanced Lifetime Guarantee, reinforcing the company’s long-term commitment to the sector as it continues to broaden its offer.

Frazer continues: “If we are asking retailers to see Tissino as a serious shower tray brand, we have to be prepared to stand behind the products we put into the market.

“The Lifetime Guarantee is an important part of that, but the bigger opportunity is making sure we can answer the very different briefs retailers deal with every day.

“There isn’t one perfect shower tray. Some customers prioritise anti-slip performance, while others want a smooth surface. Some projects are driven by size and installation requirements; others are much more design-led. The job of the manufacturer is to give retailers enough choice to find the right answer without making the process unnecessarily complicated.”

The September launches put that approach into practice, extending the range across different design and performance requirements while giving Tissino greater depth within the category.

For Tissino, that breadth is important because the shower tray is rarely specified in isolation. Its size can influence the enclosure, its profile affects how the showering area sits within the room, its surface has implications for both appearance and performance, and its drainage needs to work with the wider installation.

The strategy builds on continued investment by Tissino in its showering portfolio and a belief within the business that shower trays have historically received less attention than their role in the bathroom warrants.

Rather than trying to turn an inherently practical product into something it is not, Tissino wants to put more emphasis on the decisions that sit behind its specification.

Frazer adds: “There is a huge amount of conversation in our industry around brassware finishes, furniture colours, ceramics, baths and tiles, and rightly so. But one of the hardest-working parts of the bathroom can still be almost invisible in the specification conversation. 

“We don’t want Tissino simply to be a bathroom brand that happens to sell shower trays. We want to become a name retailers instinctively think of when they are specifying one.”

The expanded shower tray offer forms part of Tissino’s wider 2026 product development programme, with the September additions marking the latest stage in its long-term focus on the category.

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Bathroom Spare Parts doubles capacity with warehouse expansion

Hoddesdon-based business Bathroom Spare Parts has announced an expansion of its premises, taking over the warehouse next door in order to double its capacity following continued growth.

The business moved from Barnet to Hoddesdon two years ago, and due to fast growth, have now taken on the neighbouring warehouse to create significantly more space for the next stage of the business.

The additional space will allow the company to expand its current offices, improve the way its team operate and, importantly, hold significantly more bulk stock of its fastest-moving products.

Founded in 1993, Bathroom Spare Parts is a third-generation family-run business supplying replacement parts for bathrooms and plumbing products. The business operates in a fast-moving industry where having the right parts readily available is essential for customers looking for a sustainable and cost-effective option to repair and update existing bathroom fittings without replacing entire products.

Its latest expansion will help the company respond to customer demand while building on more than three decades of experience in the sector.

Bathroom renovations remain a popular home improvement project, with Nationwide research published in October 2025 finding that 71% of homeowners who had renovated their homes in the previous five years had updated their kitchen or bathroom.

This ongoing focus on improving existing homes showcases the importance of having replacement parts readily available when homeowners need to repair or update their fittings.

For customers, this means the expansion will allow Bathroom Spare Parts to provide greater product availability and deeper stockholding, helping the business continue to improve the speed and reliability of its service.

Ross Bliben, Sales Director at Bathroom Spare Parts, said: “When we moved here just over two years ago, we genuinely thought these premises would give us enough room for at least five years. We’re very pleased to have been proven wrong, because it’s happened as a result of growing the business faster than we expected.

Taking on the warehouse next door gives us almost double the capacity and, importantly, gives us room to plan for where we’re going rather than constantly trying to make the current space work. We’re very excited to see how this expansion helps continue our growth and the next stage of the business.”

As the business heads into the final quarter of 2026, the expansion marks another major milestone for Bathroom Spare Parts and puts additional infrastructure in place for its plans for 2027 and beyond.

The new warehouse is now part of the business’s wider operations, with the team continuing to expand its stockholding and make improvements behind the scenes.

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