NEWS IN BRIEF NEWS | Round-up
• Kitchen furniture manufacturer Omega has partnered with developer Countryside to provide sustainable kitchens for the Parkside Quarter of its Rochester Riverside development in north Kent. Omega will supply houses on the development with its Nouveau Shaker kitchen in Graphite, while apartments will get the contemporary Cube kitchen in Dark Blue. All of Omega’s kitchens are made from 35% recycled wood that is Forest Stewardship Council certified.
• Two new hoods from Falmec have received awards at the iF Design Awards 2022. They are the Spazio 130 extraction centre and the Light island hood. The Spazio is a compact model measuring 1,300mm wide with smart connectivity and shelves for dish storage. Plus a biophilic ‘green’ area for herbs or plants. The Light is an ultra-compact design that features Multi-Air extraction and Carbon.Zeo filtering.
• Utopia Furniture has reported that since it installed a Talbott biomass boiler and heating system five years ago, more than 3,000 tonnes of wood waste that would otherwise have gone to landfill has been used to fuel generate over 500,000kWh of energy to heat its factory and offices through the winter months and keep two ovens used in the manufacturing process at the correct temperature all year round. Almost 100% of the timber Utopia uses is FSC-certified.
• New Zealand-based showers and taps manufacturer Methven has partnered with the Rainy Day Trust charity to provide beneficiaries with water-saving shower heads to reduce water and energy bills. The Rainy Day Trust is a charity that supports people who have worked in the UK’s home- improvement industry and who find themselves in financial hardship. Products provided include its Kiri low-flow heads.
• Lixil, parent company of Grohe, has opened a solar park at its Albergaria production site in Portugal in line with the company’s goal to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2050. The 2,270 PV modules have a total capacity of 1,500kW, providing 8% of the production site’s energy requirements. It will reduce the plant’s CO2 emissions by more than 740 tons a year. It also has solar parks in Klaeng, Thailand, and is installing more at Lahr and Hemer in Germany.
• Plumbing solution specialist Saniflo trialled its latest ad campaign for macerators at the Homebuilding and Renovating Show at the NEC. The campaign aimed to challenge perceptions and stimulate customers’ ideas on how to transform their homes using Saniflo products. Head of marketing and product management Ann Boardman said that the feedback was good and vindicated the company’s new approach, which it will roll out in ads in the press and social media.
• Surfaces specialist James Latham has launched a digital surface specification platform, which it calls its Digital Showroom. This allows users to explore and select products and engage with its design consultants. It will give access to hyper- realistic, interactive 3D models of over 1,400 of the distributor’s surfaces and finishes. They can also create mood boards and mix styles and colours to find the right products for their project.
16
KBSA welcomes more new retail members
THE KBSA has welcomed two new members – H Everett Interiors in St Austell, Cornwall, and Idesign Interiors in Winscombe. Both retailers applied to the association during a
visit to the kbb Birmingham show. They were then put through the usual vetting process to allow them to become members.
KBSA national chair Richard Hibbert said: “I am delighted H Everett Interiors and Idesign Interiors have made it successfully through the vetting process.” Idesign Interiors offers a complete project management service from conception to completion. The Somerset-based company designs and supplies kitchens, as well as other rooms in the house, such as utility and boot rooms.
H Everett Interiors in Cornwall was established in 1997. The company focuses on kitchens and bedrooms and prides itself on its reputation for excellence in customer service. Also at kbb Birmingham, KAW Interior Design won the KBSA’s promotional draw for a case of champagne. Its membership application is due to be approved within the next few weeks after this issue’s publication. KAW Interior Design, based in Kidderminster,
Worcestershire, focuses on its customers and offers a personalised service with bespoke kitchens and bedrooms. Pictured is director Kevin Walsh with his case of champagne.
Hibbert added: “It was a pleasure to present KAW Interior Design with their case of champagne following their visit to kbb Birmingham. “The exhibition provided the KBSA with the perfect opportunity to showcase the many benefits of membership, which resulted in a significant number of enquiries. I look forward to welcoming KAW Interior Design into the membership in due course.”
ArtiCAD teams up with Anthill to create ‘all-encompassing business system’ for KBB studios
TWO OF the KBB industry’s technology specialists, Arti- CAD
and Anthill, have
announced plans to integrate their core products. ArtiCAD’s design and pricing software, ArtiCAD-Pro, is being integrated
with Anthill’s CRM,
process management and automation platform in a bid to create a single system that has been designed to “sit at the heart of the essential everyday operations of KBB retailers”. Speaking about the integration, Theresa Turner, a director of ArtiCAD, said: “The synergy between our two companies is striking. We are both dedicated to the success of the KBB sector and have strong track records in delivering robust, flexible solutions – underpinned by our constant
investment in innovative technologies to help our customers sell.
“This is a very exciting announcement for ArtiCAD and, I am sure, for many of our retailers, who will welcome the opportunities and benefits delivered by such a powerful, all- encompassing business system.” John Endeacott, founder and CEO of Anthil, saidl: “In bringing Anthill and ArtiCAD together, retailers will be able to deliver the
best possible customer journey in combination with a streamlined and guided user experience. With the wealth of KBB expertise both organisations possess, the improvements a retailer can now make to their operation are game- changing.” Watford-based design software specialist, ArtiCAD, was founded in 1992 and has more than 7,500 UK users. It also has subsidiaries in Ireland, North America and South Africa and distribution partners on Australia, New Zealand and Spain.
Anthill, which launched in 2010 and is based in Yorkshire, specialises in CRM and process management software. In February last year, it revealed it had achieved record sales and that business was up 32% year on year.
· June 2022
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
