NEWS | Round-up VIEWPOINT Who’s coming to
Christmas dinner? In his final column, TKC CEO Roy Saunders looks back over 2020 and gives us his list of guests he would love to invite for Christmas dinner
kbbreview scoops Podcast of the Year Award
I thought I’d seen most things in my lifetime but this year has certainly
been unique
WELL WHAT a year it’s been! I sometimes think I’ve seen most things in my relatively colourful life but this one’s certainly been unique. It’s also influenced my thoughts in terms of who I’ll be inviting to Christmas dinner chez Saunders, whether it’s virtually, socially distanced or dare we hope - in person! Here’s this year’s line up: • RISHI SUNAK: What a job this man has had to do and will have to do over the next few years. Trying to keep the economy alive and then repaying the inevitable debt is a balancing act I’m not envious of. • CAPTAIN SIR TOM MOORE: If you’re looking for inspiration of mind over matter or that age is only a number then Sir Tom is your man. My garden is a reasonable size for his daily constitutional and, from war tales to current day, his experiences would be amazing to hear. • KAMALA HARRIS: After the last four years of Trumpgate, imagine talking to the first female black vice president who appears perfectly sane, positive and has her head screwed on. Mr Biden is no spring chicken so I’ll pick her brains for what she plans to do when she’s in the hot seat, as surely that’s just a matter of time. • MARCUS RASHFORD: What a remarkable young man and my favourite quote of the year is “while they’re too young to have a voice, they’ll have my voice” in his reference to young vulnerable children. He’s virtually single handily forced the government
into a policy change and local communities helping their own too. He’s someone who’ll help me keep it real. • ADELE: I always enjoy live music and Adele’s got an extensive repertoire to keep us entertained. She’s also been in the press this year with some staggering weight loss, I’m hoping she’ll share some secrets that no doubt I’ll be needing in January. • AMANDA HOLDEN: with her experience on Britain’s Got Talent, she’ll think Adele is a kindred spirit but Adele shies away from the publicity Ms Holden seems to crave. Looking younger by the year and specialising in risqué dresses, who’d believe now that her first TV appearance was actually on Blind Date? I’m sure her Xmas day outfit will be a good ice breaker. • PFIZER CHAIRMAN: I saw a post on social media recently saying “imagine being a Pfizer shareholder at the moment”. I bet they’re not worried about the next few years! I’d love to hear about their emotions as the vaccine developed and for once I’d be happy to take a back seat and allow this man to be the centre of attention. What a dinner table this would make and sadly it’s also my last as I hang up my kbbreview pen column to allow for fresh blood next year. Thanks for taking the time to read my views and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a more normal new year.
12
THE KBBREVIEW Podcast has been crowned as one of the best in the UK publishing industry. At the Professional Publishers Association
(PPA) Independent Publishers Network Awards held on November 18, The kbbreview Podcast was named Podcast of the Year. The podcast was launched as the first lockdown began back in March to try and keep the KBB industry up to date with what was happening. Hosted by kbbreview managing editor Andrew Davies, the podcast has since expanded to include bonus episodes for the Save Our Skills campaign and, coming very soon, the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards. Christopher Phin, head of podcasts at DC Thompson Media and one of the awards judges, said: “One of the things that podcasts can do very
well is not just serve niche
audiences but connect niche audiences. That’s one of the special things about this podcast, it’s not just that it’s very slickly produced and the chat in it is genuinely fascinating even if you’re not in the industry – it’s that has carried forward the mission of kbbreview to connect an industry that has been blown apart by the coronavirus. “An industry where face-to-face contact matters so much is where a podcast can play
such an important role in bringing a community together, to share stories, successes and concerns and it is done with such fluency and such competency that is an absolute delight to listen to. If you haven’t listened to it yet, I suggest you do and you’re the people that make it, well done.”
The kbbreview Podcast is now approaching 50 episodes and it’s had a variety of guests from retailers up and down the UK giving insights into their Covid business strategy to CEOs of major KBB manufacturing companies. “I’m just so delighted to get this award,’ said Davies. “The podcast is a real labour of love and to get this recognition by peers is just amazing. The real thanks go to all our guests as they’re the ones that really give the insight and the stories and also then everyone who listens for letting us climb inside their ears for half an hour.
“So if you haven’t listened to us yet, now’s your chance.” You can listen to the latest episode of the award-winning kbbreview Podcast using the player below or by searching ‘kbbreview’ in your podcast app of choice. There you can find all the
previous episodes as well as how to subscribe and leave a review.
Villeroy & Boch defends decision to partner with Bathstore
PREMIUM BATHROOM brand Villeroy & Boch has been forced to defend its decision to partner with Bathstore after concerns among the brand’s network of independent retailers. Villeroy & Boch came under fire from dealers on LinkedIn, after it was revealed the brand had partnered with Homebase – the new owner of the Bathstore brand – as part of its new high-street showroom concept, dedicated to kitchens and bathrooms in Guildford. The store features a selection of Bathstore branded products as well as the Lyla range by Villeroy & Boch. Following the announcement, a number of independent retailers took to LinkedIn to openly express their frustration at Villeroy & Boch’s decision to join forces with Bathstore. One retailer said: “The way to achieve more sales is to open up a dialogue with existing dealers.”
Another said: “This is extremely bad times for V&B. With one strike they have made their brand ‘cheap’ and lost the independent retail backing. Good luck trying to claw this one back.” While another retailer simply said: “It’s like Armani suddenly going into Primark.” Anna Wiatr, Villeroy & Boch CRM and sales marketing manager, added: “Further to the recent announcement of the new Villeroy & Boch and Bathstore partnership, we can confirm that the trial collaboration has been agreed with a distribution partner to create a Bathstore Collection at the Guildford store only. “We want to reassure our existing retail customers that during this trial period, there is a limited assortment of Villeroy & Boch washbasins, WCs and baths available, so we believe this new partnership should not deter sales from our existing channels.”
· December 2020
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
