NEWS | Round-up
Terence Ball Kitchens founder passes away
TERENCE BALL, the founder of Terence Ball Kitchens, and former managing director of William Ball, has passed away. The Ball family have issued a statement reflecting on his legacy in the industry, saying: “We want to thank everyone for their kind messages of sympathy
and support. Terry is
remembered as a caring, honest, and kind man, whose presence was felt and enjoyed by all who met him. He truly loved the industry, and the friends he made within it.
“He started in the kitchen business
back in 1963, at the young age of 16. Alongside
his father, William, he
crafted individual units in their garden shed, before taking them to sell at Petticoat Lane market in London. They became well known for their high- quality work and attention to detail, building their reputation on producing great quality furniture at fair prices. “Terry went on to spend the next 55 years in the industry, building William Ball into a highly successful and much respected family-run manufacturer, which helped supply the country’s trade and retail markets.
Sadly William Ball closed for business in 2010. Although Terry had stepped down from the role of MD some time before. “However, he always remarked ‘you can’t keep a good man down!’ Soon after, he opened Terence Ball Kitchens in partnership with his two sons, Jonathan and Michael. He was a pioneer of the industry and a proud
Electrolux plans further massive cost reductions
APPLIANCE GIANT the Electrolux Group has announced that it is stepping up its cost reduction programme to restore margins against a backdrop of continued weak consumer demand and competitive market pressures. The group expects its action to result in net cost savings of SKr10-11 billion (£740-810 million) in 2024 compared with 2022, which will extend the previous cost reduction target of over SKr7bn. The move will lead to a restructuring charge of SKr2bn to SKr2.5bn in the fourth quarter of this year. It reported that the existing cost- reductions measures, while going to plan, had not been enough to restore margins.
The group will also reorganise into three regional business areas and two global product lines, reporting to CEO and president Jonas Samuelson.
6 Electrolux Group said it will also
increase its focus to grow the mid and premium categories in a bid to restore margins and return to profitable growth through accelerated execution of its strategy to deliver “innovative and sustainable digital consumer experiences”.
The restructuring is expected to affect around 3,000 positions. Commenting
on the decision,
Samuelson said: “We are therefore accelerating structural cost reductions and execution of product cost measures. Hence, the cost reduction target for 2024 vs 2022 is increased to SKr10-11bn, compared to the previous target of over SKr 7bn. The new target comprises net cost reductions from cost efficiency and investments in innovation and marketing combined. For 2023, the target is to reach cost reductions of approximately SKr6bn, year-over-year,
compared to the previous target of at least SKr5bn.” He added: “We remain committed to achieve at least 6% EBIT margin mid-term. In addition to an attractive offering driving commercial growth in targeted areas, a key component to deliver on this under current market conditions will be to continue to annually reduce product cost at a similar rate as during the period 2023- 2024. This is enabled by a new, more focused business approach and simplified organisational structure.” The group said it will be focusing on manufacturing productivity and material cost reduction. The simplified structure will consist of two global product lines, three regional business areas and four global functions, all reporting to the CEO.
Dan Arler will be head of product line ‘taste’ and Ian Banes head of product line ‘care’.
The Europe and Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa business regions will merge into one (Europe-APACMEA) under the leadership of Anna Ohlsson- Leijon, who will also be group executive vice-president, responsible for group consumer direct interaction development and product line well- being. The business areas of North America and Latin America remain. Product changes wlll take effect from November 1 and business area changes from January 1, 2024. These changes come hot on the heels of Electrolux Group’s Q3 financial results, which showed an 87% fall in operating income (SKr227m) in the first nine months of 2023 compared with the same period the year before (SKr1.7bn). Net sales fell by 7.9% from SKr35.24bn in Q3 2022 to SKr33.42bn.
Operating margin fell in the first nine months of 2023 to 0.2 compared with 1.8 in the same period in 2022.
• December 2023
champion of British quality, constantly striving
to create unique and
innovative offerings for the industry. He will be sorely missed, but always remembered, and very much loved.” In addition to the statement on their
father’s role in the industry, Jonathan and Michael also added that their father was a “truly wonderful man, and an amazing dad”.
Ideal Bathrooms to distribute Ideal Standard Atelier
collections IDEAL STANDARD has revealed that it has entered into a new distribution agreement with Ideal Bathrooms for all of its Atelier Collections.
Bathroom solutions specialist Ideal Standard has worked with Ideal Bathrooms as a trusted distribution partner for many years and from November 6 the partnership was extended to include the luxury Atelier Collections.
The Atelier Collections were first launched in 2021 and were created in collaboration with Italian design house Palomba Serafini Associati. The collections include the La Dolce Vita, Solos, Calla, Joy Neo, Conca, Tipo-Z, Linda-X, Ipalyss, Extra, Joy, Around, Blend Curve and Blend Cube lines. Commenting on the new agreement, Ideal Standard UK retail channel director
Adam Evans said:
“Maintaining the strength of our relationship with retailers is vital to us at Ideal Standard. Our partnership with Ideal Bathrooms supports our existing retail network, while providing an enhanced service and ensuring we can provide a wide range of stock, quickly.”
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
