National distributor PJH Group has announced that it will withdraw from the kitchen furniture market by June 30.
In a statement sent to staff, customers and suppliers earlier this month, PJH Group revealed that the decision to remove kitchen furniture – including worktops, lighting and accessories – from its portfolio followed a strategic review of the business.
The company added that the decision followed “another successful year of trading and growth in 2019” and would allow it to focus on growing its primary categories of bathrooms, appliances and sinks and taps.
It assured customers that it would continue to support them throughout the six-month transition period and that those kitchens already fitted, or due to be installed for orders up to June 30, would still be honoured by the full warranty.
The company confirmed that no PJH distribution centres or offices would close as a result of the decision and revealed the space would be used to enlarge its stockholding of bathrooms, appliances and sinks and taps.
In its statement, PJH said that it “envisaged that all staff presently employed supporting the kitchen furniture range will be redeployed to other areas of the business, avoiding any compulsory redundancies where possible, and improving the resources to those PJH categories experiencing most growth”.
Commenting on the decision, PJH chief executive Richard George said: “The kitchen furniture sector has been the smallest part of our business for some time. With the company seeing excellent growth in other categories, especially bathrooms, strategically it is the right time to withdraw from the kitchen furniture sector.
“With our new spring/summer Bathrooms To Love Collection due for launch in April, and our latest Appliance Guide featuring a wider range of brands due out in March, the move will allow us to dedicate greater space and support to the other categories. It will also free up resources to continue enhancing our customer service, supporting our goal to be the customer’s first choice in bathroom, appliance, sink and tap distribution.”