Round-up | NEWS
Should we rename our industry from KBB to KBH?
A DEBATE on rebranding the KBB industry by dropping the ‘bed- rooms’ and renaming it KBH – kitchens, bathrooms and home – has been raging between retail ers on each side of the fence. The topic was started by Tony Robson, owner of Day True, who believes that the term KBB is ‘antiquated’ and today’s homes are more of a blend of spaces, not strict room types.
He first posed the question to the
industry on LinkedIn, and then he appeared on The kbbreview Podcast to discuss his thoughts. He said on the podcast: “The home has dev - eloped. Covid has given everything another nudge in this direction. I would say it has been going on for the past 10 to 15 years and that there seems to be a blurring of spaces in the home. “The kitchen is no longer just a kitchen; a bathroom is no longer just a bathroom; a bedroom is no longer just a bedroom. Open-plan kitchens attach to living spaces. In the industry, a lot more people are thinking of it as a home. You have to think about how
EXCLUSIVE
Customers confused by new energy labels, say kitchen retailers
RETAILERS SAY that not only are consumers confused by the new energy labels, but very few know about them or even care. The energy label system in the UK changed from March 1. The revised classification is rated from A to G, with most appliances that were rated A+ to
A+++ now falling between F and C. We asked the kbbreview100, our think-tank of KBB retailers, how they felt about the new system and what customers thought of it.
John Pelosi, director of Caldicot Kitchen and Bathroom Centre in south Wales, said he could see the point of
the new system, but added: “For products to go from A/A+ etc down to G is a bit ridiculous and is proving confusing for those few customers who actually care about such things.” Pelosi said that consumers also remain largely unaware of the changes. Ian Coghill, a director at Riddle and
these spaces work together rather than each of them apart.”
Although Robson thinks that this change would be beneficial for the industry, the consumer side would not be changed. He explained: “I’m not thinking of this as a consumer focus. I am challenging the industry and asking if the industry should change and maybe the industry should be more forward-thinking.”
Robson also highlighted during the podcast that bedrooms are often ignored in the industry and not given the same weight and prestige as bathrooms or kitchens.
Robson believes that having a less divided industry might help companies talk to one another. He explained: “Collaboration is more important than it ever has been. Bathroom manufac- turers should talk to sinks and taps companies, they should be talking to kitchen companies, and they should be talking to bedroom manufacturers. “There should be more collaboration, and these different parts of the industry should be working together to deliver not just to their customer, which is me
as a retailer, but also to the end-user – the most important person in this whole chain. Having a more cohesive approach by changing one letter to KBH, would be the first step.” Many retailers gave their views on this topic on LinkedIn, with many agreeing with Robson on the proposed industry name change. While others expressed their concerns about their own internal branding – especially if they have KBB in their company name. Mark Conacher, managing director of Liberty Fitting Service in Dundee, agreed and said: “In North America, I find homes are designed much more
towards lifestyle. The absence of walls allows the home to flow much more freely. I’m all for KBH.”
The public perception of the term KBB was also a topic of debate, suggesting many consumers had no idea about KBB, and it was more a case of internal branding. Gary Walmsley, a designer at Walls and More in Bolton, said: “Does it genuinely matter? The public don’t know what it stands for or probably care. But what about a KBB, or KBH, register solely aimed at getting a message across to the discerning clients who want service and design?”
Coghill in Edinburgh, agreed that consumers are confused: “I don’t think changing it will make any difference to the majority of consumers and it just adds another layer of confusion. No one ever asks about energy efficiency or water consumption.” Russell Buckley, MD of Stuart Henry Kitchens in Merseyside, also said that customers rarely ask him about energy labels. He said: “In 36 years, I have only been asked a couple of times about energy labels, which would suggest either ignorance or apathy.” Our kbbreview100 respondents also thought that few appliance manufacturers had provided them with sufficient information on the change.
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Review_QuarterPage_FusionLive_v2.indd 1 July 2021 ·
3/17/21 3:10 PM 5
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