Welcome to The kbbreview Podcast, your host is Andy Davies and this may be the last episode of Season 11 but we've got a couple of very interesting bits for youFirst up we're talk about manifestos - we all know there's going to be a General Election this year so if you were running for Prime Minister, what would be in YOURS to help kbb businesses?While we were at the KBB show we took the opportunity to ask this very simple question to some leading industry figures.And then we go from Prime Minister to prime time TV. Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen made an appearance at the KBB show supporting Caple so kbbreview editor Rebecca Nottingham caught up with him to hear his views on kitchen and bathroom design. Warning, this next interview contains flamboyance... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The kbbreview Podcast, your host as always is Andy Davies and this week we're looking at the communication between suppliers and their retailers.Since Covid there has been massive shift in how this is done, the traditional rep-on-the-road model has morphed into a hybrid of some area sales managers and a lot more emails, portals, Zoom, Teams, webinars and the like.From the suppliers point of view it's not hard to see why. Reps are expensive and can only cover so much, but technology allows direct communication and exchange of important updates and information easily. For the retailers, however, they like face-to-face, it's their bread and butter after all, plus they have potentially dozens of suppliers and that means dozens of portals, emails, updates and Zoom calls to get through - and the onus is on them to do it.So it's time consuming AND the volume of information coming this way means that they may miss important updates such as price changes or stock availability.Andy caught up with a few key suppliers to ask them what they think. Is there still a role for the rep on the road, and how do you get important messages across when the inbox is so noisy…But do retailers agree? We ask them too....What do you think? Email Andy at andrewdavies@taylistmedia.com or find him on LinkedIn here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to another bonus episode of The kbbreview Podcast, your host is Andy Davies and at the kbb show last week he caught up with Richard Sloan, the CEO of Sonas Bathrooms. It was their time exhibiting at the show AND, of course, they were also our Podcast Partner for the 20204 kbbreview Retail & Design Awards.So that's two greatest reasons to talk to Richard about the health of the market, the relationship between suppliers and retailers and how they're doing exhibiting for the first time. If you want more info on Sonas Bathrooms then you can find out everything you need to know at sonasbathrooms.co.uk and we highly recommend checking out all the special 2024 awards podcast episodes here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The kbbreview Podcast, this is another of our special episodes from kbb Birmingham, although to be more precise this one is coming from the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards 2024. Host Andy Davies found a relatively quiet spot to talk to you but we had around 900 people filling the room celebrating the very best of the industry so it was a big noisy crowd and an amazing atmosphere.Our host was Stephen Mulhern and he had the whole room in the palm of his hand but we managed to grab our winners as they came off stage.As always, these special awards episodes are brought to you with the support of our 2024 Podcast Partner Sonas Bathrooms - they're all here tonight so hello to you all again if you're listening and thank you for all your support this year. These episodes really give us the chance to explain what the awards are all about it, give a little peak behind the curtain AND let every meet some of the finalists and judges.And that's really important as, even though we're alwaus have a big party here we really work hard to make sure these are awards worth winning.You can find out more about Sonas Bathrooms at sonasbathrooms.co.uk and you can also see the full list of winners at our website kbbreview.com/awards as well as a full gallery of pictures from the night which is, let's be honest, what everyone wants to see. We open entries for the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards 2025 in the Autumn so watch out for that... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the second of your special kbbreview Podcast episodes direct from kbb Birmingham 2024It's been another really busy show today, with lots of very interesting conversations on and off the record , including some fantastic gossip which we couldn't possible repeat and some genuinely honest assessments about the health of the market. Today we've got a couple of very interesting interviews that host Andy Davies did on the hoof here at the NEC.First up, we're talking changes to the laws surrounding the recycling of appliances - what it means for suppliers AND what it mean for retailers who sell them and take the old ones away. It's a very important subject that could directly effect you so we're meeing Anthony Sant, the joint MD of Swift Electrical.Then we have a really interesting discussion with Walter Peteri, Quooker's Global Director and the son of founder Henri Peteri. Quooker is such an interesting story not just in the product but also the marketing and Walter has some very insightful views on innovation within the kitchen industry. Don't miss it! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the first of our daily episodes direct from kbb Birmingham 2024 and there's one question on everyone's lips - how's business? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The kbbreview Podcast, your host is Andy Davies, and this is Episode 5 of Season 11. This is a great episdoe as we've got a topic today that will dazzle all your senses.That's because it's all about, well, dazzling all the senses.It's obvious that your showroom needs to look great, but do you ever think about how it smells, how it sounds or how it feels? Does your showroom engage all of your customer's senses? There is a huge amount of psychological research confirming that appealing to all the senses can make customers more inclined to purchase in retail environments. Using scent, music, tactile displays and lighting can create a much more immersive and engaging experience.We love all this kind of stuff so we're so pleased that our guest today is Charles Spence - he is a professor of experimental psychology at the Crossmodal Research Laboratory at Oxford University.And if you find all this as intersting as we do, check out Charles' book Sensehacking: How to Use the Power of Your Senses for Happier, Healthier Living This very special episode is brought to you with the support of our good friends at kbb Birmingham 2024, Europe's prime hub for the kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom industries.The ultimate showcase of innovation is now only days away - it starts on Sunday, March the 3rd at the NEC Birmingham and runs to Wednesday the 6thMeet key clients, engage with trendsetters, explore the newest launches and dive into live demonstrations - you'll gain valuable insights that'll drive your business forward at kbb Birmingham 2024.You can register for your free visitor pass now at kbb.co.uk. See you there! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The kbbreview Podcast and another of our special bonus episodes all about the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards 2024.And this is the last one of these we'll be doing before the event itself. This is coming out on Wednesday, February 28 which the means the awards is on Monday. All very exciting indeed and what better way to round off this countdown to the ceremony than by talking to two of our finalists.From our design shortlist we have Justine Bullock from The Tap End near Cardiff and from the retail shortlist we have Steph Warner from Pier1 Bathrooms in Hove.They're both deserving finalists of course, but they share another really interesting characteristic in that both their retail businesses are all-female teams - so we'll be hearing from them about why they enter awards, what it means to find out you're a finalist AND we'll be asking them for their assessment of the market right now.These special bonus awards episodes of The kbbreview Podcast are brought to you with the help of our friends Sonas Bathrooms - our 2024 Awards Podcast Partner.They're a hugely successful company in Ireland and now they're here in the UK with their stylish and high-quality range of products. You can find out more about becoming a Sonas Bathroom retailer by going to sonasbathrooms.co.uk or, seeing as there's only a few days until it starts, you can also go and see them in person at kbb Birmingham on stand F30. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The kbbreview Podcast and another very special bonus episode as we're talking to Stephen Ewer, the CEO of Bathroom Brands.Always great to talk to him and we'll be getting his view on the health of the market, the biggest factors affecting its growth and, more specifically, what plans and strategies Bathrooms Brands to get the most out of 2024.It's a proper insight into the  mind of one of the UK sector's leading figures, so don't miss it!Yes, this episode is brought to you by our good friends at Bathroom Brands. They are, of course, a hugely successful and well-known designer, importer and supplier of bathroom and sanitary ware products across its suite of established brands - Crosswater, Burlington, Clearwater and Britton. You can find out all about them at bathroombrands.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The kbbreview Podcast, your host is Andy Davies and we're keeping the pre-KBB Show podcast bonanza coming with this - the100% official Episode Four of Season Eleven.And we've got a great guest on today talking about a subject that is so important, so relevant and so interesting that we really should discuss it more - and that's how retailers can be more sustainable.That's both in the way they run their business AND how they can make sustainability a genuine and effective part of their sales story rather than something to sidestep and not bring up if the client doesn't. Just by learning about the details of your suppliers and products could you weave it into your narrative and boost the on thing that's more valuable to you than anything - your reputation.So I'll be talking to Steve Lister, a consultant, advocate and all round expert on sustainable retail for both retailers and their suppliers and it's sooo interesting. You can find out all about him at stevelister.comBut first…This very special episode is brought to you with the support of our good friends at kbb Birmingham 2024, Europe's prime hub for the kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom industries.So get ready for the ultimate showcase of innovation! Held at the NEC Birmingham from March 3rd to 6th, this exhibition features 250+ top European brands across 26 diverse categories, unveiling cutting-edge designs and the latest innovations. With over 15,000 decision-makers attending from residential, design, retail, and contract sectors, it's the prime spot for networking, sourcing and business growth. Expect renowned brands like Caple, Franke, VitrA, BORA and many more to showcase everything from furniture to components, giving you a glimpse of the future in KBB.Meet key clients, engage with trendsetters, and explore the newest launches. Dive into live demonstrations and gain valuable insights that'll drive your business forward at kbb Birmingham 2024You can register for your free visitor pass now at kbb.co.uk. See you there! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to another special episode of The kbbreview Podcast all about the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards 2024.We're counting down to the big event itself on Monday, March the 4th with these special shows and after last week's conversation with some of our design category judges, today we're talking to a couple of our business category judges. What makes them tick, what are they looking for, why is it so important to visit the finalists in person and what do they get out of the experience?We have a couple of very experienced and successful retailers in the shape of Darren Taylor from Searle and Taylor and Mike Lloyd from Inspired Bathrooms & Kitchens.These special bonus awards episodes of The kbbreview Podcast are brought to you with the help of our friends Sonas Bathrooms - our 2024 Awards Podcast Partner.They're a hugely successful company in Ireland and now they're here in the UK with their stylish and high-quality range of products. You can find out more about becoming a Sonas Bathroom retailer by going to sonasbathrooms.co.uk or you can go and see them in person at kbb Birmingham on stand F30. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to another special bonus episode of The kbreview Podcast and today we're getting a bit of a sneak preview of one of the most high-profile exhibitors at kbb Birmingham in a couple of weeks time.And that's Cyncly.Now Cyncly may be a new name to the kbb Birmingham exhibition halls but the latest versions of the products it is showing have been essential tools for kitchen and bathroom retailers and designers for a reassuringly long time.Cyncly is now the home of brands such as Winner Flex, Virtual Worlds, EQ Flex and Spaces Flex, following a recent series of acquisitions and mergers. That means that, for the thousands of designers and retailers that interact with them every day, any new developments,interfaces or add-ons are eagerly awaited.For an inside look at how Cyncly is approaching the event, we caught up with sales director Dean Smith and director for enterprise accounts Ben Roberts…But, before we meet them, make a note - Cyncly will be on Stand L70 at kbb Birmingham from March 3-6 - for more information go to cyncly.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the kbbreview Podcast and this very special bonus episode. It's a great one for anyone interested in the latest trends and products in kitchen, bedroom and bathroom design as we'll be talking to Aimee Fletcher - the  Decor and Product Manager for Egger.We're going to find out all about her new ranges, how she gets her inspiration and ideas and how that translates into products you designers can specify in your projects. It's really interesting stuff so essential for designers across the sector.Yes, this special episode is brought to you with our friends at EGGER UK. They are, of course, a global manufacturer of wood-based materials and products used across the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom sector. Their new Decorative Collection 24+ is available now and you can hear all about it in this podcast and find out more at egger.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The kbbreview podcast, your host is Andy Davies and this is Episode Three of Season 11 and today we're revisiting one of the biggest topics in this industry and that's installation and apprenticeships.It's a complicated subject and that can often switch people off but, as we'll hear today, the ageing workforce could see half of installers retiring in the next five years AND, in 2023, less than 100 direct kbb installation apprentices were taken on.That maths is not difficult to understand even for us.The annual conference for the British Institute of KBB Installation - or BiKBBI - was held a couple of weeks ago in London. We've featured this event on this podcast before but it's always a rel snapshot of where the debate has moved - if at all - and what activity is being done to address it.So today we'll hear a little bit from BiKBBI CEO Damian Walters for his assessment and then we're going to dip into a panel discussion about apprentices which has some real nuggets in there for all kbb retailers.This very special episode is brought to you with the support of our good friends at kbb Birmingham 2024, Europe's prime hub for the kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom industries.So get ready for the ultimate showcase of innovation! Held at the NEC Birmingham from March 3rd to 6th, this exhibition features 250+ top European brands across 26 diverse categories, unveiling cutting-edge designs and the latest innovations. With over 15,000 decision-makers attending from residential, design, retail, and contract sectors, it's the prime spot for networking, sourcing and business growth. Expect renowned brands like Caple, Franke, VitrA, BORA and many more to showcase everything from furniture to components, giving you a glimpse of the future in KBB.Meet key clients, engage with trendsetters, and explore the newest launches. Dive into live demonstrations and gain valuable insights that'll drive your business forward at kbb Birmingham 2024You can register for your free visitor pass now at kbb.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to another very special episode of The kbbreview Podcast all about The kbbreview Retail & Design Award 2024! Your host is Andy Davies and give or take a day or so we are just three weeks away from the big ceremony on Monday, March the 4th in Birmingham. We're as excited as we are absolutely terrified as we'll be welcoming about 900 of the industry's top designers, retailers, suppliers, opinion-formers and influencers for the biggest night of the year.All the judging complete and we now have the full list of winners in front of me and I promise it's going to be a good one.In this awards episode we're going to take another look into the minds of our design judges to see what they thought of this year's entries, what themes they spotted and how much they get out of the prices themselves.The process itself is really important and it works like this - designers submit their written entries and the judges go through every single and score them independently against the list of criteria. I add up all the scores and the top four in each category become the shortlist.But it doesn't stop there and that's the big difference of our awards - we have two further judging sessions. We have two panels - one for kitchen and one for bathroom - and we put them in a room and all the shortlisted finalists then present their projects to them in person via Zoom. This is where the judges get to quiz and question the designer on all the details.So Andy ran the bathroom panel at the Roca Gallery in Chelsea Harbour and his esteemed colleague and kbbreview editor Rebecca Nottingham ran the kitchen panel at Halcyon Interiors in Wigmore Street.Once all the presentations were over we grabbed some of the judges for a post-match chat...These special bonus awards episodes of The kbbreview Podcast are brought to you with the help of our friends Sonas Bathrooms - our 2024 Awards Podcast Partner.They're a hugely successful company over in Ireland andnow they're here in the UK with their stylish and high-quality range of products. You can find out more about becoming a Sonas Bathroom retailer by going to sonasbathrooms.com or you can go and see them in person at kbb Birmingham where they will be a must-visit exhibitor. You can find them on stand F30 and say hello from me. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a very special episode of The kbbreview Podcast.As I'm sure you know kbb Birmingham is fast approaching us at the start of March - it's the biggest UK show dedicated to all things kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms so today we're chatting to the exhibition's sales director Jon Johnston - he'll be telling us why the show has never been more relevant and why it's a must-visit experience for anyone in this sector.kbb Birmingham 2024 is Europe's prime hub for the kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom industries so get ready for the ultimate showcase of innovation! Held at the NEC Birmingham from March 3rd to 6th, the exhibition features 250+ top European brands across 26 diverse categories, unveiling cutting-edge designs and the latest innovations. With over 15,000 decision-makers attending from residential, design, retail, and contract sectors, it's the prime spot for networking, sourcing and business growth. Expect renowned brands like Caple, Franke, VitrA, BORA and many more to showcase everything from furniture to components, giving you a glimpse of the future in KBB. Meet key clients, engage with trendsetters, and explore the newest launches. Dive into live demonstrations and gain valuable insights that'll drive your business forward at kbb Birmingham 2024 And it's not just about innovation; it's about sustainability too! The kbb Birmingham Better Stands initiative is reducing waste and promoting eco-friendly practices among exhibitors and the industry. Also join your peers in celebrating a decade of excellence at the 2024 kbb Innovation Awards, in partnership with Blum, recognising the groundbreaking solutions in the KBB industry shaping the future.So we're sure you'l want to be part of this revolutionary event you can register for your free visitor pass now at kbb.co.uk.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The kbbreview Podcast, your host is Andy Davies and this is Part Two of our look at the results of The kbbreview Retailer Survey 2024.It's our biggest ever survey of independent kitchen and bathroom retailers and this week we're be looking at some of the biggest challenges retailers face - like the wider economy, finding good fitters and why consumer are taking so long to make decisionsAnd we'll also be looking at what retailers think of their suppliers - and what suppliers think of retailers...We teamed up with the boffins at Eureka! Research to survey over 500 retailers and in this and last week's episodes we're discussing some of the results with a very special panel. We have...Liz Pantling-Jones from Lima Kitchens in Milton KeynesKenny Luck from Luck & Fuller in BillericayAlex Jenman from Gainsborough Kitchens in Gainsborough LincolnshireandSimeon Gabriel, the managing director of Hettich UKAnd, in case you missed it, here's the link to Part OneOur special survey pair of episodes are brought to you with the support of our 2024 kbbreview Research Partner Hettich. We couldn't have done this amazing survey without them so huge thanks to them. You can find out all about them at hettich.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The kbbreview Podcast and the start of a brand new season - Season 11 to be exact - and this is going to be a great one because we're building up to kbb Birmingham and the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards 2024.And we're kicking it all off with a two-parter looking at the results of the kbbreview Retailer Survey 2024. It's our biggest ever survey of independent kitchen and bathroom retailers looking at some of the key questions:Just what is the average project cost of a kitchen and bathroom?What do they really think about the overall market? What challenges are they dealing with? How do they rate their suppliers? What’s happening with footfall, conversion rates and order value? What confidence do they have for the potentially difficult times ahead?We teamed up with the boffins at Eureka! Research to survey over 500 retailers and in this and next week's episodes we'll be discussing some of the results with a very special panel. We haveLiz Pantling-Jones from Lima Kitchens in Milton KeynesKenny Luck from Luck & Fuller in BillericayAlex Jenman from Gainsborough Kitchens in Gainsborough LincolnshireandSimeon Gabriel, the managing director of Hettich UKSo it's Part One this week and Part Two next week.Our special survey pair of episodes are brought to you with the support of our 2024 kbbreview Research Partner Hettich. We couldn't have done this amazing survey without them so huge thanks to them. You can find out all about them at hettich.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to The kbbreview Podcast, your host is Andy Davies and this is a very, VERY special episode.First of all, believe it or not, this is Episode 200 of the show. That's right, 200 episodes of The kbbreview Podcast dedicated to all things independent kitchen and bathroom retail. Thank you so much to everyone who's tuned in, thank you to all the supporters and guests we've had along the way and rest assured we're already planning the next 200.Not literally, we clearly make it up as we go along much more than that. Anyway, what better way is there to mark this milestone than by revealing the shortlist for the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards 2024.That's right, over the next half an hour we'll be telling who the 2024 finalists are for the biggest awards in the kitchen and bathroom retail sector - and to keep the milestones coming, in 2024 we're celebrating our 30th birthday so who's in the running to pick up one of our legendary trophies in this anniversary year?Huge thanks to our 2024 Awards Podcast Partner Sonas Bathrooms - you can find out all about them at sonasbathrooms.co.uk.And you can book your tickets for the big awards event in March at kbbreview.com/awards Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to another very special bonus episode of The kbbreview Podcast all about the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards 2024!Yes, the entries are closed and the first stage of judging is complete and that means the reveal of the shortlist for 2024 is imminent.In fact, this episode is coming out on Monday, December the 11th as a little precursor for the big show on Thursday - that's December 14th.That episode will be the first unveiling of the full rundown of finalists for the 2024 awards.That list won't be available anywhere else until the following week so if you want to know if you're on it, or you just want to know who the big names are then look out in the podcast feed.You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube - just search 'kbbreview'...all one word. Or you'll be able to listen through kbbreview.comBut that's not all, not only is Thursday's episode the big shortlist reveal, it's also the last show of the year AND it's episode 200 of The kbbreview Podcast - it's almost as if we've planned it this way.Today though, our amuse bouche of awards goodness is a reality interesting chat with one of last year's winners - Jamie Harding from the New Kitchen Retailer of the Year - Et Lorem in Reading - and one of our bathroom business judges - Sofia Charalambous from Origins Living. There's some great stuff in here about what it's like being a judge as well as what it's like being judged!So kbbreview's George Dean meets them both,Huge thanks as always to our 2024 Awards Podcast Partner Sonas Bathrooms, these special episodes wouldn't be possible without them! To find out more about them go to sonasbathooms.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.