Hampstead Kitchenss | KITCHEN RETAILER PROFILE
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with the latest two being Italian brands Binova and Valcucine – literally either side of him. Zanjani says: “Good luck to them.” He welcomes the extra footfall that these and other companies bring in. It benefits him, too.
He tells me that he has also inherited quite a few former Neil Lerner customers.
Zanjani says: “In fact, when Neil Lerner closed I was very upset.
Every company around here attracts more customers and gives a chance for everyone to compete against each other. Because where we are is not down near the station where more people pass by. They have to specifically come here to this parade for a purpose. Nobody walks round here really. So the more kitchen companies there are, the better for us. I welcome the competition.” But he had to take some pretty bold decisions early on if he was to compete in the high-rent, high-rates environment of a London showroom in a prime location and he soon realised he had to change his brand proposition. He tells me how, when he started out, he analysed if the furniture brand he was selling was what his local customers were really looking for. He tells me: “We were doing well, but customers were coming in – they would ask ‘can you do this?’ No. ‘Can you do that?’ No. In that company’s catalogue, you would find one or two pages that were in my view suitable for the Finchley Road or London look. They tried to have one catalogue that fitted every category. “I’ve sold very few traditional kitchens over the years. There’s no demand for it here. If you opened their catalogue, you’d see three or four pages of traditional kitchens. It wasn’t right for us.” He had the location sorted, he just needed to sort out the brand proposition. “This is the second Wigmore Street – it is THE place for kitchens all the way up to Golders Green and Brent Cross. Poggenpohl has been here for many years. This parade has become very exclusive for kitchen showrooms – and interior designers.”
August 2019 · kbbreview
Then he found the solution: “We realised that we were missing something and decided to increase turnover by becoming a multi-brand dealer, introducing high-quality German brands at a different price category.”
So he took on Rempp and Beckermann. “Rempp is our core luxury brand, which competes with Poggenpohl and all these Italian brands,” he says. “They have a fantastic range and it is high-quality, all made with wood from the Black Forest. They are a small company and I have learnt from experience to always go for small companies. Small companies tend to give you a good service. When you phone the factory, there is always someone on the other end to help sort things out for you.
“Beckermann, our other brand, is another good, small company – it has been established for over 120 years.”
Zanjani explains that Rempp is his high-end proposition, with Beckermann in the middle and Burger from Bauformat for those on a tighter budget.
Every company around here attracts more customers and gives a chance for everyone to compete against each other. So the more kitchen companies there are, the better for us. I welcome this
He explains that the great benefit of Rempp is it can also do totally bespoke designs and finishes. “We have a Rempp bespoke kitchen at the front of the showroom in the window made to our own design. It just hypnotises people and people seem to want it.” The German brands were just what the doctor ordered for his business. Before he took them on, his average kitchen sale was around £15,000. Now it is £40,000 to £50,000 – with a minimum of £20,000 and no maximum.
It also meant he could sell premium appliances and quality sinks, taps, worktops and splashbacks to match. He deals with BSH, Miele and Gaggenau and sells a lot of Dekton worktops, although he deals with all major quality brands. He also sells more gas hobs than induction, probably because of many of his customers prefer to cook with a naked flame. So with his location, how much business is from passing
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