The Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialists Association (KBSA) has appointed current interim chair Luke Wedgbury to the newly-created position of managing director.
The KBSA says the creation of the new role, a first for the association, will allow Wedgbury to be focus on the day-to-day challenges faced by independent retailers and work on finding ways to help them overcome them.
Wedgbury was named interim chair back in July following the departure of KBSA chair Richard Hibbert. He has been working in the KBB sector for almost three decades, and founded the family-run retailer Coalville Kitchens back in 2011.
The KBSA says Wedgbury’s appointment is just “an exciting first chapter in a wider programme of change” for the organisation, which will also see it unveil both a new structure and direction in the months ahead.
According to the association, part of these changes will be making the KBSA “more relevant and useful” to independent KBSA retailers, by offering practical advice as well as “creative a strong collective voice that represents the interests of all sectors of the KBB industry”. Additionally, the KBSA says it also wants to become “more of a go-to for the end consumer”, and says it is working on strategies to achieve this.
“I’m a retailer too, out there every day just as all our members are,” Wedgbury said. “I have a first-hand view of the realities of running an independent retail business and know what all the pressures, opportunities and frustrations feel like.
“In taking on the role of MD, I want to bring that perspective into the workings of the KBSA and make it central to everything we do. If I could tell independent retailers one thing, it would be that they don’t have to face the challenges of running their businesses alone.
“The KBSA should be there to support them, protect their interests, give them a voice and provide practical help when they need it. My appointment as MD therefore isn’t just about a change of personnel. It represents the beginning of a new phase for the KBSA, with the Board committed to a long-term strategy centred around our members. I’m really excited to share these plans with both the association and the wider industry over the coming months.”
In other news, later this week the KBSA will host the first of three regional events for retailers hosted in partnership with buying group the KBBG. Each of the three events will cover how retailers can generate positive change for their businesses, featuring workshops developed specifically for independent KBB retailers.