NEWS | Round-up
People are funny and in this regular series, our kitchen retailer recounts some of the crazier moments he has had dealing with customers
Happy families
AS KITCHEN retailers, we get to meet all different types of people. My business is at the premium end of the market and my client base often tends to be slightly older and seeking their ‘forever kitchen.’ Or not, as it happens.
As a child, I watched a TV programme called Mr & Mrs. The aim of the show was to find out how much each partner in the marriage knew about each other, and they were either totally loved-up, or not remotely interested in their spouse. I occasionally think about Mr & Mrs when I meet potential customers for a showroom consultation. For the sake of anonymity, these clients are called Mr & Mrs Happy. The Happys were seemingly, at first, recent and happy empty-nesters. They had reached retirement age and were using their funds to refurbish their home now that their son had left. So far, so good. The plan was to have a small extension over two
floors that allowed for a new kitchen downstairs plus a study and media room for Mr Happy, while the upstairs would comprise a conversion of
their
son’s old bedroom into a large home cinema. It sounded great to me, if slightly focused on Mr Happy’s interests.
The Happys were seemingly, at first, recent and happy empty-nesters
They liked what they saw in my showroom, which includes a mix of contemporary and traditional displays. As ever, I kicked off the design consultation with ‘what kind of kitchen are you looking for?’ Mr Happy immediately responded with ‘modern, minimalist’, while Mrs Happy said ‘a Shaker kitchen’. Hmm, tricky. “Have
you discussed this?” I asked. They
simultaneously responded: “Yes.” And: “No.” Mrs Happy stood firm: “We want a Shaker kitchen.” Mr Happy was resolute: “I want something cool for my cool, new pad.” Mrs Happy looked unhappy: “You’re clearly having a mid-life crisis. You want to turn our home into a hideous man cave. Next, you’ll want a Porsche, and then you’ll take up gaming!” The argument continued while I sat there in front of them looking like an ill-placed pork sausage in a vegan restaurant. Mrs Happy was missing their son since he had moved out. Without him there, she had come to realise that she no longer liked Mr Happy in the slightest. In fact, she thought he was a prize idiot. Mr Happy, meanwhile, really did want to live in a man cave with a cool kitchen.
Mr Happy now lives elsewhere. He bought a Space Invaders machine and he drives a Porsche 944 Carrera. We are installing his contemporary handleless kitchen next. Mrs Happy has a new bespoke hand-painted Shaker kitchen with a large walk-in pantry and a separate utility room. Her son has moved back in. Everyone, is apparently very happy. And as the kitchen retailer, I am by far the happiest of all.
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PJH tops a million for first year of Miele partnership
DISTRIBUTOR PJH in Bolton has reported seven-figure sales during the first year of its partnership with Miele. PJH attributed its success with the premium German appliance brand to its ‘First Choice’ customer service commitment, backed by its substantial stockholding and free next-day national delivery with the option to deliver to the retailer or their customer’s home.
Commenting on the success of the com -
pany’s partnership with PJH, Miele head of sales Neil Pooley said: “Achieving seven-figure sales of our prestigious Miele brand in our first year of
trading with PJH, exceeds all
expectations as well as endorses the decision to partner with PJH. “PJH’s corporate ethos to be always the customers’ ‘First Choice’ has been a true differentiator and coupled with the capabilities of its first-class national distribution network, means we have been able to bring our products to customers, next-day nationally too.” Customers ordering Miele products from PJH are required to sign an SDS agreement that outlines how products must be displayed, branding requirements and service offered by the retailer. Tanna Molyneux, PJH’s product manager for brand appliances, sinks and taps, said: “We have worked hard to develop our partnership with Miele, offering the full Miele range of over
250 product SKUs from stock through the PJH Partners Portal and with a free next-day delivery option too. As a premium brand, Miele widens the range of price points in our appliance portfolio and brings even more choice to our customers. We are delighted to support this prestigious brand.”
PJH distributes sinks, taps and appliances, including brands such as Elica, Neff, Bosch, Whirlpool, Hotpoint, Indesit, AEG, Zanussi, Abode and Insinkerator.
Poggenpohl Hampstead reopens after showroom fire
LUXURY KITCHEN furniture brand Poggenpohl UK has reopened its Hampstead showroom, which closed in early 2022 after it was destroyed by fire. The Poggenpohl team at Hampstead had to work from home or commute to other Poggenpohl studios while the showroom was refitted. This included rewiring, new plumbing and installing new displays, such as the brand’s ContourLine range and glass Showcase cabinets. The newly refurbished Hampstead showroom features a large presentation area and new staff offices, as well as 10 displays. It showcases two fully working kitchens, aiming to give prospective customers an idea of how appliances, sinks, and taps would look and work in a home setting. The news of the newly-refurbished showroom follows the kitchen manufacturer celebrating its 130th anniversary last year.
• August 2023
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