RETAILER PROFILE
‘I’m the happiest I’ve been for a long time
14
showroom and a hands-on approach to service, the pair are putting their experience to the test in a business of their own. Opening a new electrical retail business might seem a brave move at the moment, but Ian Vidler and Richard Hall felt they had something worth backing. After years working together at Knees, the pair have combined their appliance and kitchen experience to launch Wiltshire Kitchens & Appliances in Trowbridge. When I visit, Mr Vidler is fitting our conversation around deliveries and questions from a customer. He and Mr Hall handle everything from sales and installations to marketing, and getting the showroom ready has taken longer than either expected. Even so, he sounds pleased to be doing it.
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“I’m the happiest I’ve been for a long time in the industry,” he tells me. “It’s rewarding.”
Starting again
The idea emerged as Knees, his employer for more than 30 years, approached the end of its trading life. Mr Vidler says a worsening financial outlook led to the decision to close, leaving him to consider his next move. He had worked his way through shop
management and senior leadership, including three years as Managing Director, before
fter more than three decades at Knees,
Ian Vidler has teamed
up with Richard Hall to open Wiltshire Kitchens & Appliances in Trowbridge. With a working
Opening Wiltshire Kitchens & Appliances has given Ian Vidler the chance to put decades of retail experience into a business of his own. Will McGill visits the Trowbridge showroom to talk live demonstrations, personal service and the realities of starting from scratch.
moving into a sales management role. Another employed position was possible, but after so long with one company, it would have been quite a change.
Conversations with Mr Hall gradually turned into a plan. His future business partner had run a dive school, renovated houses and operated a kitchen studio before joining Knees. Between them, they had the experience to offer kitchens and a much wider choice of appliances than Mr Hall had previously been able to supply. “The margin in a kitchen is better than you’ll make on appliances, but there is an obvious synergy, every kitchen has got appliances in it,” Mr Vidler explains.
The business was incorporated in October 2025 and the partners took the keys to their premises the following February. They had been let down on another property, but this unit was cheaper and closer to Trowbridge town centre. Getting the showroom ready took longer than either had hoped. There were kitchen suppliers to negotiate with, displays to agree and Euronics membership to secure. Mr Vidler says membership took months, with BSH leaving the group shortly before their approval came through. Setting up a direct account meant another wait. “I’ve come to realise that when you think something’s going to take an hour and it takes two,” he says.
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