Retailer profi le
How to… make your showroom
work for you Rebecca Nottingham visits Sheraton Interiors in Twickenham and talks to owners Shehryar and Nadia Khan about why a showroom is a valuable selling tool and how retailers can ensure it works for them
kbb Birmingham 2018 Show Special
car, they decided to get you to design them a new kitchen instead. Well, this is exactly what happened to new business owners, husband- and-wife team Shehryar and Nadia Khan. “I can’t tell you how good it felt when one of our
Y
fi rst clients told us that they’d been all set to buy themselves a brand new car until, by chance, they saw our showroom while they were on their way to the local supermarket. “Inspired by what they saw, they decided to get us to design them a new kitchen rather than spend the money on a car. You can’t really get a better endorsement than that, can you?” Shehryar has been in the industry for over 15 years, starting out as a designer for Moben Kitchens when he was 18. Since then, he has also run a successful independent showroom on behalf of the owner, before starting up his own business in September last year. His wife Nadia has a background in marketing, but has always been interested in interiors. Following their decision to start Sheraton Interiors, they both became students at the British Academy of Interior Design and also members of the British Institute of Interior Design. “The showroom itself was the most important
ou know you’re on to a winner with your showroom design when clients tell you they were so inspired by your displays that, rather than buy a new
part of the whole business plan, he explains. “It was the focal point – the nucleus of the business, if you like. Everything was built around it.”
Considering the importance of the showroom to their business plan, fi nding the right location was one of the fi rst tasks faced by the Khans. “Location is very, very important. A lot of people are guilty of underestimating the power of the local high street, but we knew we wanted to be in the heart of the local community, so fi nding a high- street showroom was a key part of our strategy. “The main ethos for our company is to deliver exceptional service at a reasonable price. We want our clients to remember us and the service we delivered – customer service is something we pride ourselves on. The second most important part of the business is the way we approach the market and how we differentiate ourselves from our competition. “Part of that service, and how we differentiate ourselves from other retailers, is by offering a free interior design service. My role is to design the kitchens and Nadia is also on hand to advise about all other aspects of the project, such as colour schemes, lighting, wallpapers, accessories, etc. “The open-plan living trend means that entire spaces have to blend together seamlessly and, therefore, consumers expect a lot more from retailers than just a kitchen design. They want the specialist to have thought about the whole space
18 kbbreview kbb Birmingham Special Edition March 2018
Above: Shehryar and Nadia Khan, Sheraton Interiors, Twickenham
and design something that fi ts in with it – and that’s why Nadia’s skills are really valuable.” The right location for the Khan’s kitchen showroom turned out to be a 1,250sq ft shop on Whitton high street, near Twickenham and the world-famous rugby stadium. “When we took the space over, it was basically just a dark, empty shell, so we really needed to use our imagination to visualise the transformation,” Shehryar says. “Our creative skills were really put to the test.
“Whitton has a real village feel to it and our
showroom used to be home to a bakery that had been at the heart of the local community since the 1920s. So I think the fact that the shop itself was so well known has really helped create a buzz around our business. We’re also the only kitchen showroom on the high street.” According to Shehryar, while they are an essential element, there’s more to good showroom design than just the displays. The key to making your showroom work for you, he says, is to consider it as one large space, rather than just individual sections made up of a series of separate boxes. “My advice would be to treat your showroom as if it was your own home, rather than just a shop,”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112
