NEWS | Round-up NEWS IN BRIEF


• Kitchen and bathroom products manufacturer Bristan Group has successfully installed over 1,600 solar panels at its head offi ce in Staffordshire. The new panels are expected to supply approximately 56% of the site’s electricity needs, generating over 600kw/hour of electricity.


• Women Installers Together has announced details of its 2024 conference. The “only all-day event for tradeswomen in the UK” will take place on July 4 at London Metropolitan University’s Great Hall.


• German refrigeration specialist Liebherr has introduced a 10-year manufacturer’s guarantee on a range of its most energy effi cient freestanding fridge-freezers. The 10-year guarantee is available on select models purchased between 1st March and 31st December 2024.


• Ideal Standard has launched a new online design and specifi cation tool, created specifi cally to help professionals and customers streamline product selection when designing bathrooms and washrooms. The tool is designed to empower architects, designers, planners, installers, and end-consumers, drawing from a portfolio of over 12,000 products.


• For the second year running, the Female Skills competition 2024, run by plumbing and heating student magazine HIP, was sponsored by Grohe’s GIVE program (Grohe Installer Vocational Training and Education). The competition was created to provide a space for female contestants to showcase their skills and talent amongst comparable peers.


• A brand new loyalty scheme from WEX Trade is set to reward customers when they purchase products across its entire range. The scheme has been designed so every time a purchase is made, the sale will count towards a reward target. Customers will start earning rewards from a £2,500 spend with WEX Trade, up to a maximum of £20,000.


• The Kitchen Bathroom Buying Group (KBBG) is holding its 2024 Annual Members’ Meeting on Monday June 10 at the National Space Centre in Leicester. The KBBG has revealed that its guest speakers will be Alex Rollinger and Neil Metcalf from ArtiCad, alongside joint-MD of Swift Anthony Sant, and social media expert Will Francis.


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BOTH TRITON Showers and deVOL Kitchens have received this year’s King’s Award for Enterprise. The awards are now in their 58th year, and celebrate outstanding UK-based businesses. The accolade recognises businesses in four categories: international trade, innovation, sustainable development and promoting opportunity. Triton Showers received a King’s Award for sustainable development, owing to its demonstratable commitment to sustainable business practices.


The manufacturer was one of just 29 businesses to be recognised in this category, and it says that the achievement


Bira concerned footfall drop is “worrying sign”


FOOTFALL FIGURES declined significantly this April, with the British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) saying the decrease showed “worrying signs” for the UK’s high streets. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) reported that UK retail footfall had decreased by over 7% in April, year on year. More specifically, high street footfall is down by almost


7%, retail park footfall decreased by just over 6%, and shopping centre footfall had dropped by just over 7%. Andrew Goodacre (pictured), Bira’s CEO, said he was concerned about the impact it could have on small retailers. He commented: “Consumer confidence is still fragile and we need economic growth to bring people back to the high streets. The timing of Easter last year distorts the figures, but there are still some very worrying signs for the independents. However, Helen Dickinson OBE, BRC’s chief executive, agreed that the decrease was concerning, and believes it can be attributed to several factors.


She explained: “While UK footfall was impacted by poor weather in April, this was artificially exacerbated by the comparison with 2023, when Easter was in April. All locations saw declines on the previous month, and nearly all major cities performed similarly poorly. “


Well-known KBB brands named as King’s Award recipients


acknowledges its ongoing commitment to achieving net-zero. Commenting on Triton’s award win, David Tutton, managing


director, said: “Given our market-leading position, we believe it is our responsibility to champion the water, energy, and carbon saving benefits of showers at every opportunity. We are therefore delighted to receive a King’s Award for Excellence in Sustainable Development, which is testament to the hard work of everyone within our organisation who is contributing towards delivering change.


Meanwhile, Leicestershire-based deVOL Kitchens was recognised in the international trade category for its continuous growth in overseas markets. The company says it has increased its overseas revenue by 2,300% over the last six years, with 31% of sales now being exported. Paul O’Leary, founder of deVOL Kitchens, said the company was honoured to receive a King’s Award. He continued: “After 35 years in business, I can’t believe that we now export our kitchens and homewares all around the world. What started as two friends making furniture in a garage, almost for fun, has grown into a business that employs 400 people, many of them design graduates from local universities. “Together, we sketch, render, and prototype, with every design discipline embraced; like a modern-day Bauhaus, we are never satisfied that a product for the home is good enough. Everything not created by nature can be improved.”


Toto unveils new distribution partners for UK


JAPANESE SANITARYWARE manufacturer Toto has announced new partnerships with two UK distributors, which will come into effect in July. Both Abacus Direct and RO Arnold – commonly known as “Arnolds” – will be partnering with Toto to form a distribution network for the company’s products.


The partnership will allow retailers across the UK to have easier access to Toto’s offering, which includes its Washlet, WCs, baths and taps. Abacus Direct is a Yorkshire-based manufacturer and distributor specialising in bathroom products, and Arnolds is a surface and bathroom distributor based in Doncaster. Toto UK’s general manager, Kazuki Osugi, commented: “We


are excited about our new partnerships and what they will bring in terms of enhanced service and logistics to our customers. Both of these well-established companies have distinguished reputations in the industry and we look forward to working together going forward.” Toto was established in Japan in 1917, and first entered the European market in 2009.


• June 2024


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