NEWS | Round-up
Ex-Bathstore franchisee bounces back under own name
A FORMER Bathstore franchisee in West Wickham has opened up on its own after it was told by the administrators in June its contract had been terminated. The Kent-based business, operated as Rouse Bathrooms, was left with £125,000 worth of orders to be fulfilled or refunded.
Owner Claire Algar has relaunched her business under the Rouse Bathrooms name and has set up as an independent bathroom retailer in the same premises as the old Bathstore franchise.
The company told kbbreview that it was up on sales after rebranding and renovating the showroom after only four months of trading. Speaking to kbbreview about the decision, Algar said: “We have a good team of staff and good customers around us. Customers have been behind us. Being independent is a lot more work, but we are starting to see the rewards.
“We had no idea that it was
happening [with Bathstore]. The press leaked it a week before that Bathstore was in trouble. We were told it was ‘business as usual and to carry on’. A week later, though, we received an e-mail from the administrators saying simply that they [Bathstore] were in administration and they were no longer going to deal with us. They basically just cut ties with us immediately.” The £125,000 worth of Bathstore orders had to be either refunded or fulfilled with alternative products. According to Algar, the biggest problem was the bathroom projects that were already in progress. One client had their bathroom ripped out the day before Bathstore went into administration.
Rouse Bathrooms was co-founded by Algar and her father in 2002 and traded previously under the Bathstore banner. According to Algar, the company’s accounts meant that she was able to resolve the outstanding Bathstore-related issues.
In June, Bathstore was bought out of administration by Homebase. Homebase has rescued 44 Bathstore studios and will incorporate Bathstore concessions within its own stores. Bathstore confirmed to kbbreview that the contracts were terminated on the day of admistration and none of the franchised stores were saved in the Homebase buyout. However, nine of the 19 franchisees continued
to trade as independent businesses. After the rebrand, Algar said: “Overall, we have had a really good response from local customers and some really good feedback. Our sales are up – even though we have had a few horrible months and we have bled money. There was no other way to get through it. We are doing very well and getting much interest. We have come out the other side of it.”
Leicht (KDC) to open north London showroom
Bertazzoni tops US luxury survey
PREMIUM ITALIAN appliance maker Bertazzoni has been ranked first out of 138 luxury brands in a US survey. The 2019 Premium Consumer Home Brands Survey, carried out by North Carolina-based integrated brand agency Mode, ranked Bertazzoni in top slot based on a comprehensive market audit by a panel of experts and a survey of high- income shoppers with a household income of $150,000. The study is said to have evaluated 4,500 datapoints across 16 home product categories and 138 brands. It gave Bertazzoni a ranking of 92.5 out of 100, which was 65% ahead of the lowest-ranking brand.
Experts and consumers praised Bertazzoni for communicating its Italian heritage, precision engineering and how its appliances complement luxury lifestyles.
4 Maurizio Severgnini, managing
director at Bertazzoni UK and Ireland, said: “This recognition is testament to the care and attention that everyone from the company has put into the brand, starting from the Bertazzoni family,
which is still very much
involved with the day-to-day running of the business.
“The fact that this recognition was achieved in the States, a vast and competitive market with demanding and discerning consumers, means it can be emanated across the globe and we’re confident that the halo effect can be applied to and delivered in all markets.
“Recognition of the brand is also very evident in the UK and is something we’re keen to build on as we continue to grow. “Accolades like this are a wonderful
way of demonstrating the care and attention we pay to our brand.”
LEICHT KITCHEN Design Centre (Leicht KDC) has secured a deal to take over Neil Lerner’s old Poliform studio on Finchley Road. Before its collapse, Neil Lerner Kitchens occupied two showrooms on Finchley Road – one specialised in Häcker and the other Poliform. Brandt Kitchens recently announced that it had taken over the Häcker showroom. Leicht KDC’s new showroom will be located next door at 487 Finchley Road. Set to open early next year, the Leicht North London showroom will feature four large Leicht kitchen displays and will create two new jobs. Leicht KDC is run by managing director Liam Hopper who also has a successful contracts business and retail showrooms in Battersea, Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells.
The company had a presence on Finchley Road 10 years ago – as a concession in Woodalls – but left there to open its showroom in Sevenoaks after “rapid expansion”. Leicht KDC managing director Liam Hopper (pictured) said: “We are delighted to be returning to north London with our very own flagship showroom. Finchley Road is north London’s kitchen alley. It’s a destination point for kitchens and we look forward to having a presence there. It’s our fourth retail showroom and it will be a valuable resource that will enable us to expand into the major project market within north London.” Hopper also recently secured a deal worth £1.4 million with luxury developer Dandara to provide kitchens for 126 plots within the famous Pantiles development in Tunbridge Wells.
His father, Graham Hopper has been running Leicht UK for over 35 years.
kbbreview · December 2019
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