Rising Star Award // March
We’ve teamed up with Blum to find the upcoming stars of kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom retail. Meet our eighth and final Rising Star for 2025, Aidan Parish, a fitter at Lima Kitchens in Milton Keynes
Aidan Parish Interview: Rebecca Nottingham W
hen Aidan joined the Lima Kitchens team around 18 months ago, it wasn’t just his technical skills that impressed design and marketing director Elizabeth Pantling–Jones.
“When Aidan arrived, we could see his potential that extended beyond
technical skills,” she says. “While his installation abilities needed refining, his natural aptitude for client relationships and business growth was evident from the start.” Since then, Parish has continued to impress his colleagues with not only his
technical skills and eagerness to improve, but his aptitude and understanding of how craftsmanship and business growth intertwine. But what is it about fitting kitchens that Parish loves so much? Aside from
working with his colleagues at Lima and building relationships with clients, perhaps unsurprisingly for a kitchen fitter, it’s getting to see the end result that gives him the most pleasure and keeps him motivated. “Kitchen fitting can be difficult at times,” he explains, “there’s often challenges
to navigate but when you finally get the kitchen in and finished, it’s just a great feeling. Especially when you see how you’ve managed to take the design concept and turn it into a reality. I still get a real kick out of that part of the job.” What’s exciting for the industry is that, at just 25, Parish shows great
promise and is clearly keen to further his career in the sector. But don’t just take our word for it, here’s Lima’s design and marketing director Elizabeth Pantling- Jones with the last word. “Aidan's story exemplifies exactly what the Rising Star award celebrates,"
she says. “Not just achievement, but the promise of even greater things to come. We will support and guide him in becoming a champion in promoting this line of work and lessening the impending skills shortage upon our industry. We're immensely proud to have Aidan as part of our team and look forward to supporting the next chapter in his promising career.” kbbr
• Find out more about each of our Rising Star finalists at
kbbreview.com. The winner will be crowned at the glittering awards ceremony at Blackpool's iconic Tower Ballroom on April 24
Ben Cullum, Blum UK sales director reveals why the brand is proudly supporting the Rising Star category at this year’s kbbreview Retail & Design Awards
Why is Blum supporting this category specifically? The Rising Star award is a fantastic opportunity to recognise the outstanding contributions made by young people in our industry. Investing in young people has been at the centre of our organisation since we started our apprentice programme in the 1970’s, and this philosophy has made Blum who we are today.
Why does the industry need to encourage young people to enter the industry? Our industry directly impacts peoples’ lives and yet I still believe that the KBB industry, with its potential for a rewarding career, is a relatively well-kept secret. It’s a consistent theme that our average demographic is ageing. Without encouraging more young people, we will not only lose the opportunity to train and develop the necessary skills and experience to deliver living spaces of the future, but we will also miss out on a generation of knowledge that has the ability to move our industry forward. Put simply, we believe innovation is our future and developing young talent that challenges our norms ensures the sustainability of businesses and our industry for the long term. Of course, young people are not just future colleagues, they bring the thought processes of this industry’s future customers as well. If we ignore the younger generations, we risk not understanding the very people we will depend upon for our livelihood.
Listen to the full interview with Aidan Parish in an upcoming episode of the current season of The kbbreview Podcast
What can we learn from these Rising Stars? The inspiration and talent showcased by these Rising Stars demonstrates that with the right opportunity and environment, the sky is the limit of what can be achieved. By investing in and harnessing this younger generation’s creativity, diversity of thought and inspiration we will truly build sustainable businesses fit for the future.
March 2025
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