news News in brief


The British Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom & Bathroom Installation (BiKBBI) has announced it has formed a strategic partnership with the Worktop Fabricators Federation (WFF). The BiKBBI says it plans to work closely with the WFF to provide education,


improve standards, nurture


collaboration and provide guidance to installers in the KBB industry.


Kitchen and bathroom retailers can now quote, manage, and order using Cyncly’s EQ Flex system. Cyncly says it is the only system that officially supports Virtual Worlds and Compusoft Winner design software, which allows retailers to “manage leads, keep track of actions and plan next steps.”


Waterline is now offering Hendel and Hendel hardware. The distributor says that the addition of Hendel and Hendel products significantly expands the design options available to its customers, especially when considered alongside Waterline’s existing range of Crown Imperial handles.


Ideal Bathrooms has announced a new partnership with Kaldewei that will see it become a distributor of the brand’s Eurowa bath range. The distributor says it offers an “always-in-stock” promise and next-day delivery to 99% of the UK.


Just three months after it selected Yorkshire Air Ambulance as its charity of the year, kitchen manufacturer Moores says it has already managed to raise over £1,300 for the organisation. The Moores team has rallied around events such as “Wear it Yellow Day”, where staff were encouraged to dress up in yellow outfits for charity, and an “eco-drive”, where Moores staff donated items to charity.


Roann Limited, the Wakefield-based


quartz worktop manufacturer, is celebrating breaking its monthly sales record, reporting a total sales figure of £1.87 million for the month of June. The milestone figure surpasses the business’ previous record- breaking month by more than £55,000. Roann Limited said that June’s impressive figure also marks the sixth time it has surpassed the £1m montly sales milestone.


Wickes warns it could cut 200 roles nationwide


In its latest trading update, which covers the


first six calendar months of 2024, the retailer recorded a 17% decrease in design and install revenue from this time last year, reporting a figure of £166.7 million. In terms of like-for-like revenue, Wickes saw a decrease of 18.3%. Earlier in the year, Wickes’ reported that its


UP TO 200 jobs are at risk of being cut at national retailer Wickes, as the company says it is looking to reduce its number of kitchen and bathroom advisors. A spokesperson for the company has confirmed that “just under” 500 members of Wickes staff have been consulted about their future at the national retailer. However, while Wickes plans to reduce its


advisory staff, it also plans to increase its number of design consultant roles. According to Wickes, affected employees are currently being offered roles elsewhere in the business where possible. The company said these changes were being


made to “streamline the customer experience” and reduce the number of touchpoints that people need to go through to get a new kitchen.


completed design and install orders were down by around 18% compared to 2023, which it attributed to “a particularly strong performance in the comparative period for the prior year”. Analysing its performance across the period,


Wickes said: “Design & Installation delivered sales in the half reflected the continued soft consumer appetite for larger ticket purchases and a strong comparative in H1 2023”. However, the retailer did say that its strategic


focus on lower-priced Wickes Lifestyle Kitchens have delivered good results, with sales volume up by almost 19% year-on-year. Wickes’ retail figures were more positive, but


still showed relatively flat growth. In the first six months of the year, the retailer reported pulling in £633.2m in revenue, which equates to 1% growth. Wickes’ like-for-like revenue growth increased by 0.6% across the period. Despite the flat growth in retail sales, Wickes said its retail figures “remain resilient”.


Poggenpohl’s Sharon Wallis named most influential female kitchen design MD


POGGENPOHL MANAGING director Sharon Wallis has been named as the most influential female managing director in the kitchen design sector, according


to Acquisition


International Magazine. The


accolade was


awarded to Wallis as part of the magazine’s ninth Influential Businesswoman Awards. First launched in 2016, the awards programme says it was created to “remind the corporate world of [the] incredible achievements of women throughout a spectrum of industries”. According to Poggenpohl, Wallis’ award win was attributed to the fact that “she brings not only


8 kbbreview


excellence in fiscal responsibility, but maintains a stable and driven workforce by balancing fair management with a happy disposition”. Wallis first joined the


company as its financial director in 2006, before taking over as managing director in 2020. Mike


James, operations


director for Poggenpohl UK, congratulated Wallis on her award win, saying: “Everyone at Poggenpohl is delighted for Sharon! She is regarded so highly within the business, as well as in the wider


KBB community. I am sure you will all join me in congratulating her!”


September 2024


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