NEWS | Round-up


VIEWPOINT ‘There is always


room to improve’ Continuing her monthly series, Natalie Peters of Kitchens Etc in Norfolk, describes her experiences during the final year of her Foundation Degree in kitchen design at Bucks New University


Paul White, B&Q commercial director


OUR FINAL-YEAR projects are Project Management led by Rob Mascari and a Community Kitchen project led by Johnny Grey and Adam Thomas. Project management covers all aspects of the


whole process right from a client coming into the showroom for the first time, through to handing over and after-sales. This has been split up into multiple separate sections and assignments, starting with initial consultation, background and brief-taking. We are working to a three-week deadline for each assignment, so along with our other main project, there has been no slowly easing ourselves into the final year. We are heavily researching for the Community Kitchen project, where we are tasked with designing a community kitchen for a vibrant inner-city setting. The brief is for a multifunctional hub that can house a wide range of activities and people. The space is to be accessible and multigenerational, bringing people of all ages and abilities together to socialise, co-create, repair, co-work, hold meetings, functions, dine, cook, eat, reflect, converse and connect – with the kitchen, cooking and food at the heart of this community space. At work, we are thrilled that Kitchens Etc has been selected as a finalist in our local Norfolk Business Awards for


the Knowledge Pioneer


Applying the course teachings has helped us


award category. This is directly attributable to our journey with the course and the knowledge we have gained from my studies. We have reviewed and renewed a lot


of our pro -


cesses and it has created quite a transformation across our team. All staff have embarked on further training, creating a motivated and multi-skilled team where everyone deals with customers, including in the showroom, and all the team now see the finished jobs and are much more involved with clients. We have renewed our design processes, incorporated


more efficient methodologies and CAD and overall have a more professional outlook and set-up. We are all learning from this course and this has had a big impact on sales. My dad and I are working together a lot more closely,


as are the whole team. We have never had so much fun as we are now and are all moving forward together for the future. All of this has had a positive impact on our business, both financially and practically. Trading conditions are difficult out there, but we can see that applying the course teachings has helped us be better equipped. However good your business is – and we were quite happy with ours before this journey, there is always room to grow, learn and improve and that can have a positive impact.


• Natalie is sponsored on her course by Franke 12


B&Q: first new kitchen range for 10 years ‘a landmark moment’


B&Q UNVEILED its first completely new kitchen offering for 10 years at its 160,000sq ft flagship New Malden store just off the A3 last month. B&Q says the new ranges are the result of extensive customer research into what people said they wanted in their new kitchens. The new Good Home range, which offers of 26 door options in nine styles


a total


from traditional to modern, is supplied flat- pack for buyers to assemble and dedicated display areas have been created in-store to showcase the collection. Speaking exclusively to kbbreview at the launch, B&Q commercial director Paul White said: “This is a key category for us. It is a big investment and we are hoping that this will help us increase our kitchen sales. “It was developed from customer insight – the major insight being functionality is extremely important. Most customers don’t have a lot of space, so we’re helping them buy a kitchen that is affordable, well-designed and has space-saving highly functional solutions. “Affordability


is also important in the


current market. B&Q has been the lowest- priced kitchen retailer for the past two or three years and we hope that will continue. We overlay that with a really strong set of finance packages for customers to finance their project.” There is a new range of Good Home built-in appliances to complement the kitchens, which includes a combi oven and microwave and a smart induction hob and extractor for under £1,000 that talk to each other and can be operated from a smartphone. There is also a downdraft induction hob for islands at £948. A spokesperson told kbbreview that the average order value for kitchens at B&Q was typically between £1,500 and £3,000. Speaking to attendees at the launch, White


said: “This is a landmark moment for us. We are in the process of rolling it out nationally and that will be done by around Easter next year. “It has been around 10 years since we have properly reviewed our kitchen proposition.


What we are bringing to market we believe offers exceptional value for money, really good quality, a 25-year guarantee and a finance package that makes it very affordable.” And those packages include 0% finance and buy-now-pay-later. Kitchen centres in B&Q stores also include a design consultation area. B&Q has provided a set of digital tools to help guide customers, which includes an online ‘visualiser’, where customers will see a representation of each kitchen style and are able to change door colours, worktops, tiling and flooring to help them see what their finished kitchen might look like. They are also able to book an appointment online to see an in-store designer and are emailed a confirmation that also outlines the details and measurements they will need to take with them to that consultation. The 10,000sq ft display in New Malden has a total of 14 kitchens in various styles with some live appliances for demo purposes. To date 13 stores have been fitted out with the new kitchen centres, and B&Q plans to have rolled it out to around 50 stores by the end of the year, and all 249 stores by Easter next year. Smaller stores will have fewer displays as space permits.


The DIY giant axed its HomeFit installation service at the end of 2018 and a B&Q spokesperson at the event confirmed they had no plans to reintroduce it. B&Q does, however, on its website point those who need an installer to contact the BiKBBI. The spokesperson added that their experience so far is that 90% of their kitchen buyers tend to handle installation themselves.


B&Q has incorporated new tech and storage solutions, including pull-out corner units and pull-out stacked drawers, under-cabinet LED lighting that is gesture-activated and also illuminates the interior, chopping boards and drainers that slot into sinks and create a space- efficient, multifunctional work area. Doors and drawers are soft-close and push-to-open if they are handleless.


kbbreview · December 2019


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