MANUFACTURER PROFILE | Getley


A CNC machine and assembly worker in the Stafford factory


quicker to changes in style, add bespoke things and manufacture in a greater range of colours.” And part of the appeal of a British- made product is shorter lead times. Before the pandemic and its knock-on effects, Getley could ship within two to three weeks, but that has slipped to five with the double-whammy of Covid and increased demand.


Capacity


CEO Getley explains: “We had to do some very clever things to expand capacity. Back in 2015, we were doing night shifts, but Paul [Bryan] has changed that by introducing shift work. The teams do four days on and four days off and that has worked extremely well. And that increased our capacity, although our lead times have slipped over the past six months as demand has been at a record high. “Everybody’s lead times slipped and I don’t think it mattered too much to most retailers, as they haven’t had the installers anyway. As long as you stick to the date that you have promised, that is what’s key. Not delivering on time is the problem.” And he confirms that demand has increased by around 37% over the past 12 months and that this uptick looks set to continue into 2022. Hughes reiterates that demand is there for a traditional product such as Alku. He says: “There are people who want a traditional kitchen. They do not want a German kitchen. Most studios selling German style kitchens are very professional, and they have probably had this type of customer come in as a recommendation, and if they can’t offer them the product they are looking for, and then try to sell them something they don’t want, they’ll have an uphill


48


battle. But if they can say, ‘we also do this, which is British and is exactly what you are looking for and it has all the embellishments and bells and whistles that go along with a traditional British kitchen’, it’s a sale made. And that


is where we are focusing –


professional, mid-level guys selling a German product who are already used to designing.”


One promise Getley does make to its kitchen studios is exclusivity. “We are very fierce on protecting dealer areas. We won’t open two studios 15 minutes from each other. That’s not going to happen.”


But as manufacturing capacity from the new Alku factory ramps up, production is expected to leap from 93 kitchens a week to 140. So that means they will be looking to take on more retailers. CEO Getley


confirms: “We are


looking for organic growth. We are looking to get Alku to full capacity and maybe in the next four or five years combine the production facilities of the two. That would give us another 40 to 50 kitchens worth of capacity. We would probably be looking at taking on around another 20 to 30 retailers.” The complete Getley range at present accounts for the lion’s share of production, with a split


We sit alongside the Germans. We want to complement studios that to this point have been solus German and are looking for traditional in-frame and lay-on shaker


of 85% Getley and 15% Alku. But over the next four to five years, as production increases, Getley expects that will be more like 50:50. With Alku, Getley aims to provide the retailer with everything they need in one package. And to this end it has expanded


its range of design-led


handles, will soon manufacture its own doors and be offering Blanco sinks and taps. In addition to that, it has plans to supply De Dietrich appliances and even worktops. Hughes explains: “We are looking to offer those as more of a service rather than something we will get rich on. On the stone side, retailers will have their own suppliers, but if you have a modern laminate-faced door and you want the worktop to match, there is a big gap in the UK market. We are pushing our suppliers hard to catch up with what is available in Europe. Lots of the sheet laminate materials are not available as worktops. It’s all about giving retailers everything they need to be ordered from one place and delivered to one address on the day it is needed.” I ask whether Getley also supplies straight to developers for retailers who do contract work. MD Bryan says:


“Yes. We like to deal with projects of 10 to 12 rather than hundreds and we do regularly find ourselves delivering on-site. But we never sell direct to the developers, it is always through one of our network of retailers.” So, what Alku products will Getley be showing at kbb Birmingham 2022? “The front part of the display,” says Hughes, “will be a very traditional in-frame in a very nice green that is all the rage at the moment. Beyond that will be the new home-office furniture, behind wing doors, and that will lead into a sitting room type area with a sofa, TV units and wall displays. At the back will be bedroom furniture and a second more modern handleless display, then a small bathroom display with a washstand.”


Hughes explains how it intends to branch out into home office and bathroom furniture: “We currently have kitchens and bedrooms under the Alku umbrella. We will be bringing in home offices in the next few months. “Bathrooms will follow shortly after.


We are moving away from the full fitted bathroom – it is going to be more bespoke, freestanding washstands in modern and traditional styles, and then once that has been done, we will move into home furniture – pieces of furniture that suit the open-plan lifestyle. Media units, display furniture, occasional tables, seating areas, etc.”


Looking to the future, CEO Getley confirms


the intention to supply


appliances and worktops and says he is aiming for turnover to grow to around £10m. And he smiles when he tells me that he has also been looking at the American market, where he sees consumers having “an affinity with British products”.


· January 2022


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