BILL MILLER: KBBG THE ERT INTERVIEW
Alku kitchen furniture, established and manufactured by Getley
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‘Some dealers were simply overwhelmed with orders’
“The fitted kitchen market has been going from strength to strength.” These are the words of Bill Miller, MD of the Kitchen Bathroom Buying Group. Despite some potentially tough times ahead, he believes there’s still plenty of demand in the market and the most savvy retailers are getting wise to the benefits of selling kitchen furniture.
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any electrical retailers in the UK are introducing kitchens into their stores to develop their range of products and services, not to mention the
financial benefits this move can bring. Helping dealers to achieve their full business potential, by offering a range of exclusive tailored benefits and support for the independent channel, is the Kitchen Bathroom Buying Group (KBBG), which is part of DER KREIS. One of the biggest buying groups in Europe, and constantly expanding, DER KREIS now operates in 11 countries after recently opening DER KREIS Italy – and it is soon launching in Spain and Portugal as well. In the UK, KBBG will be celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2023. And with nearly 300 members across the home nations, the group is growing at an impressive rate.
“We had a bumper year last year,” Bill Miller, Managing Director of KBBG, tells ERT in this exclusive interview. “It seems pretty clear that buying a new kitchen has been very high on a lot of people’s wish lists.”
He says the fitted kitchen market has gone from strength to strength, with the independent sector faring very well. “It’s very resilient,” he adds. Mr Miller goes on: “Retailers tell me they have almost forgotten how to sell because customers are running in demanding new kitchens! Some dealers have even been turning customers away because they were overwhelmed with orders.” When I ask him why there is such demand,
it’s a multitude of reasons, he replies. During the pandemic people rediscovered the joys of eating together as a family, leading to a new trend in kitchen design in creating a family seating area, whether it’s housing a big dining table or incorporating a low level breakfast bar.
Similarly, since people have been spending more time at home, the little niggles and bugbears in the kitchen became much bigger issues and people decided to do something about it. “We’re finding that people are taking on all kinds
of renovation projects these days,” says Mr Miller, “replacing bathrooms, bedrooms and kitchens to add value to their homes.”
As a result, independent retailers are reflecting this trend and looking at other avenues for their business; they are starting up new conversations with the KBBG about selling kitchens. Mr Miller continues: “We are redeveloping the package that we put together with CIH/Euronics, which is a 360 package of products, support services – like CAD systems, logistics, recruitment and training, and having re-established this we are getting the story out there in many more places. “We hope to see more of this come to fruition early next year.”
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