Shopping Around | RETAIL
Farr and Harris Watling Street, Wellington
Showroom: Service:
5 1
Total 6/10
This seemed like another very new showroom.
There is a huge amount of new house building going on throughout Shropshire and the West Midlands. Perhaps the bigger chains are supplying to the house builders, and want to appeal to them, rather than individual homeowners. Yet another great showroom, with a couple of sets still ‘in progress’. This is bathrooms only, with some interesting and well-executed Utopia displays, as well as a very centre-stage Vitra, Crosswater and Victoria + Albert walk- through shower and standalone bath layout, beautifully done.
Lots of price information was included in each display. The showroom itself was very ‘visible’ with huge windows and plenty of parking space, so will no doubt attract a great deal of attention,
Tilemaze Telford Stafford Park 4
Showroom: Service:
2 3
Total 5/10
A typical industrial-park showroom – a very small first ‘room’, nonetheless with a good choice of tiles and a couple of rather lonely- looking basin units, but… Walk through into the warehouse space and there is a massive collection of tile boards, covering all eventualities, from mirrored to textured to porcelain and glossy colours. The guys left us to it, saying to give them a shout if we
needed any help, and then explained they could help measure up and work out quantities.
A small, basic range of bathroom furniture and enclosures was on display and these helped show their tiles off to good effect. There was plenty of signage describing the furniture as made in England.
They seemed happy to suggest we visit the Shrewsbury showroom, which had larger displays.
A massive selection of tiles
despite its low-key position. Unfortunately, there was little attempt from staff to engage with us as potential customers.
Great showroom but no approach from staff
MKM Building Supplies Ketley Business Park, Waterloo Road, Ketley
Showroom: Service:
5 4
Total 9/10
– next to plumbing bits and bobs and other supplies.
The banner above the kitchen section is ‘My Kind of Kitchen’ and it’s all very streamlined and glossy. Packed with slide-out door and handle displays, plus a show-off shaker style set with a grand island.
Yet another ‘new’ showroom to the area, MKM Telford has been open about a year, and still had that shiny, enthusiastic look about it. A straightforward showroom aimed at trades people and consumers, it supplies Symphony kitchens and Eco bathrooms, and the displays pack a massive amount of information and inspiration into a relatively small space
MKM Building Supplies
The Telford branch of MKM deserves a win, because of the excellence of the showroom and the knowledgeable and inspirational approach from designer Matthew Gorton. This one really did tick lots of boxes, with a particular lesson that, however busy a showroom is, even if work is going on, it should never look less than tidy and ready for action. Matthew was happy to discuss ideas and make suggestions suited to my budget and time scale – and also came up with quite a few good ideas on how to save on some things to gain on others. A good example of how to present and staff a creative and aspirational showroom that can cover all budgets and appeal to a wide range of customers.
Shopping Around winners from 2019 will automatically make the short-list for our Customer Service categories at the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards 2020.
kbbreview.com/awards for more details.
There were very useful price-guide cards on each set and I got a great guided tour of the kitchen section by designer Matthew Gorton, plus an explanation of their contacts with two installation contractors they recommend with confidence. I came away with a good feeling that this could be a one-stop-shop for both a kitchen and a bathroom, with budget-friendly options as well as high-end looks.
A great one-stop-shop for a kitchen and bathroom
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August 2019 · kbbreview 67
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