FINALISTS | kbbreview Retail & Design Awards 2024
INSTALLATION COMPANY OF THE YEAR
Quarrybank
Plumbers Wilmslow, Cheshire
Simon Taylor
Furniture Ltd Aylesbury, Bucks
TC Kitchens Ltd Flitwick, Bedfordshire
The Marble Group Welham Green, Hertfordshire
sponsored by
The company seamlessly integrates with its sister bathroom business, Quarrybank Boutique, offering a comprehensive 360-degree approach to household plumbing and heating, including expertise in air source pump and solar PV installations. Quarrybank also supports local youth education by sponsoring the Mountfield Rovers football team, with an annual contribution of £1,200 for kits and equipment. They continuously upgrade their website and share their work across social media to educate customers.
RISING STAR OF THE YEAR
Andreya Ciampa Lima Kitchens, Milton Keynes
The company implemented a barcode system for installation projects,
barcoding products, fittings, and tools to streamline jobs, prevent clutter and enhance efficiency. Simon Taylor Furniture believes it is the sole installation team in the country with an annual NICEIC electrical inspection, ensuring safety in the office and recent projects. Additionally, a Lone Working Policy requires solo workers to check in at lunch and end-of-day, with safety checks if unheard from to ensure that its staff never feel unsafe at work
Angelika Kotarska Angelic Bathrooms, Northampton
TC Kitchens strategically orders kitchen items even longer in advance than it has in previous years. Shifting to the high-end of the market has enabled the business to award significant pay raises to its employees, looking to help them weather the current economic challenges. Employees also have access to an EAP program with training modules on mental health, GDPR, time management, and effective communication. TC Kitchens offers clients a stress-free “complete project management service” with a curated list of professionals.
Sophie Owen Quadus Living, Birmingham
Marble Group, adapting to a challenging market, broadened its focus to support clients’ businesses. They provide sales training to kitchen companies, enhancing conversion rates and strengthening client relationships. Committed to community welfare, the company donated £5,000 from the 2022 kbbreview awards prize given on the night to local charities. Owners Theo and Michael prioritise employee development, holding monthly meetings to share updates and celebrate team achievements.
Wojciech
Pawelczak Point 5 Kitchens, London
sponsored by
Ciampa joined Lima Kitchens in 2021 after a career at Wren, with her acumen growing significantly in that time, now being able to survey, assess and cost up much larger projects than her previous position required. She always makes an effort to keep on top of trends, new products and approaches, and produces brand specific POS to help with sales. Her fresh approach has helped the business to diversify and attract a wider audience. This quality has pushed the business and company owners to grow and develop as well.
44
Kotarska founded Angelic Bathrooms in 2022, and has been a one-woman tour de force ever since, managing the entire business by herself. She has shouldered the responsibilities of designing, generating quotations, managing deliveries, conducting site visits, overseeing accounts, and getting her hands dirty with on-site work. She has also become a Woman in Construction Ambassador because of her firm belief that age and gender should never hinder anyone from pursuing their dreams and achieving their goals.
Owen joined Qudaus Living almost four years ago with no experience of working in a design or sales environment. Over the last four years, she has successfully completed a level 3 qualification in business administration, and has also been shortlisted for seven design awards across the industry over the last three years. Quadus Living says she has shown great resilience and initiative, and has embraced every opportunity to build her skills with positivity, including Quadus Living’s own
in-house training and courses offered by suppliers.
Wojciech is the business’ master engineer of wood technology. His work turning simple designs into detailed plans are said to have transformed the company’s operations, from helping customers visualise their projects, to speeding up factory work, and making fitters’ jobs easier. In addition, he also runs the business’ social media accounts, which has helped to bring in a great deal of new and repeat customers for the company. He is described by the Point 5 Kitchens owner as “the powerhouse behind [the company’s] growth”.
• February 2024
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
