Wholesale Glass (WGL), the UK’s leading provider of glass finishes, mirrors and doors for the architectural and interiors sector, is toasting the part it has played in a £750,000 refurbishment of the fashionable Met Bar at central London’s Metropolitan Hotel.

The Wakefield-based company supplied its Glasen for the former private members club, a unique interior film laminated onto the back of glass to provide a high gloss 3D finish, of which it is the country’s largest supplier.

Symphony, the UK’s leading fitted furniture manufacturer, has opened up the doors of its new state-of-the-art marketing suite for kitchen product supplier OXO to film a national TV advert.

When the American based company needed an inspirational kitchen space to shoot their new TV advertising campaign, Symphony’s 20,000 sq ft purpose-built facility, known as ‘Inspire by Symphony’, proved the perfect backdrop.

The KBSA (Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialists Association) has issued a members guide that explains the changes being made to energy labels which come into force from January 2012.

The guidance has been put together by KBSA corporate member Swift Electrical and includes advice about companies’ obligations and responsibilities.

Consumers are now able to easily interact with Moores extensive product range via its new website and active use of social media platforms, featuring up to date information on the leading manufacturer of bathroom and kitchen furniture.

Wholesale Glass says it is taking service standards in its sector to a new level after unveiling what is believed to be the industry’s first customer charter.

The Wakefield-based company is one of the UK’s leading providers of Lacobel glass and mirrors, as well as being the largest UK supplier for Glasen, a unique interior film laminated onto the back of glass.

The government’s Water White Paper, published in December 2011, launches a new approach to national water management.

The report, ‘Water for Life’, offers long-term plans to ensure that the UK’s water supplies can meet the increasing demand. The proposed changes are designed to lead to a more robust UK water industry, promoting innovation and growth in the economy while protecting the environment.

Actively selling water efficient shower accessories for many years, Croydex has been recognised by the Bathroom Manufacturer’s Association (BMA) with seven of its water efficient shower handsets now included in the Water Efficient Product Labelling Scheme (WELPS).

The Scheme provides easy access to a database of bathroom products that when installed and used correctly are proven to use less water whiling saving energy and money.

Galassia is proud to announce that the Meg 11 bathroom collection has just won the prestigious “if Design Award”. This confirms Galassia as a leading manufacturer offering high quality and unique designs and also recognises the creativity of the architect Antonio Pascale, who designed Meg 11 for Galassia.

In our competitive market, it is natural to describe your products as the best, but when the prestigious International Jury of the iF Design Awards agrees, that is another matter.

Geberit sanitary systems solutions have won Best Product of the Year at the prestigious Plus X Awards in Germany. Picking up a trio of awards for the AquaClean, Monolith and DuoFresh models, Geberit also received the Most Innovative Brand Award in the sanitary product group.

Criteria for the Best Product of the Year included quality, functionality, ergonomics and design.

Martina Neeson has been appointed as ‘Customer Service Manager’. Martina has an impressive CV, having spent 22 years with a large multinational horticulture company as ‘Administration and Logistics Director’. Her former role saw Martina dealing with firms such as Walmart and CO-OP, and involved the building of customer relationships. Martina has a degree in Business from University of Ulster.

2011 will go down as a historic year for The Tile Association, with a series of memorable events taking place. Aside from its on-going dedication to professionalism and technical standards in the tiling industry, TTA also saw a high influx of new members. Below are some of the highlights from an eventful year for the Association.

20-20 Technologies is continuing to strengthen its sales team with the recent appointments of two area sales managers, Gary Court and Peter Hougham.

Gary and Peter will add their experience and expertise to the company and compliment the new dedicated internal sales team that has been introduced to ensure a fully coordinated customer service offer.

Ellis Furniture is celebrating after securing new kitchen furniture accounts including Napier Bathrooms and Interiors, Edinburgh; Marlin Interiors, Amesbury; Simply Bathrooms, Ripon; and Basin Bath & Beyond, Chester. A combination of new accounts and development of existing bathroom retailers into kitchens, the wins come hot on the heels of a period of significant investment.

Uform won the Best Supplier Showroom 2011 at the annual Ireland Kitchen Trade Guide Awards. This comes hot on the heels of the company’s win for Best Supplier/Distributor at the Kitchen Retail Ireland Awards in June, proving that Uform continues to go from strength to strength.

“When our showroom was being devised the design team was advised to create a footprint that was interactive and inviting,” comments MD Eamon Donnelly.

Bushboard has expanded its sales team with the appointment of Shawn Buckle to Account Manager for the South. He takes up his new position on January 3rd 2012.

Shawn has been promoted to the position from his current role as Business Support Co-ordinator with the company’s Customer Service Team. He has been in this role for six and a half years so has first class knowledge of the company’s broad range of worksurface and bathroom panelling products and strong existing relationships with distributors and retailers nationwide. 

Despite the difficult economic conditions and the general effect that these are having on retailing, Ideal Bathrooms remains upbeat about the future.

“There are many very successful bathroom retailers around the country,” says commercial director Danielle Lillis. “Those with the right products at keen prices and with good service are continuing to bring in sales. Investing in home improvements makes sense and Ideal Bathrooms is continuing to develop initiatives to help and support our customers.”

IDS has expanded its national network and in November opened the doors on its new showroom in Norwich. Strong business growth coupled with an expanding customer base and product portfolio resulted in IDS looking for a larger site that allowed easy access for trade customers as well as fast road links for prompt deliveries in line with IDS’s policy of 24-48 hours from stock.

MISTRAL solid surface worktops by Karonia have been specified throughout the innovative new ‘Green Street in The Meadows’ development in Nottingham. The inspiring 38 home development is an £8 million scheme by award winning developer Blueprint and has been designed to an unprecedented standard of quality and sustainability.

The KBSA (Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialists Association) has announced a new retail member and a new corporate member this month. Koncept Kitchens, a kitchen showroom that has been established in Milton Keynes for 10 years has become a retail member and one of the largest independent brassware manufacturers in the UK, Perrin and Rowe is the latest industry supplier to become a corporate member.

Salice - world leader in the field of concealed hinges and opening systems for furniture, stands out because of its high quality and the production entirely made in Italy – further continues its expansion with the opening of a new European subsidiary in Spain. A fundamental stage in the international activity of Salice, a course started in 1971 when the first two branches were opened in Neckarwestheim, Germany and in Antibes, France.

Van users have been advised not to tolerate ‘call centre syndrome’ from fuel card suppliers. “Businesses using vans are not all the same and suppliers should understand their individual needs but that rarely happens with fuel card companies,” explains general manager Steve Clarke.

Over 50 retailers from across the UK have attended a series of professional training events over the past few weeks to learn more about the Geberit AquaClean range, the benefits to becoming a partner and how to increase sales opportunities for WCs that clean you with water. Since its launch into the UK market in early 2011, Geberit AquaClean has signed up over 80 retail partners. The company plans to increase this to 100 partners by the end of 2011 and add another 100 to its network throughout 2012.

Building Adhesives Ltd, the parent company of BAL and Dunlop Adhesives, has announced the appointment of Peter Bell as its new managing director. Peter’s appointment will take place with immediate effect following the departure of David O’Neill, who leaves the post as managing director to pursue his career elsewhere.

The Franke Christmas pudding has always been a favourite at Yuletide for all the lucky recipients. And now the company can again claim that they are the BEST! The Richemont Club of Great Britain recently held a competition for the best Christmas pudding in the United Kingdom and Chatwins of Nantwich, which makes the Franke treats, has won for the second year running, much to the delight of Franke product manager, John Swain.

In another industry first, F Jones Cleveland has joined forces with Dry-Treat to deliver a free Protected for Life warranty across all of its manufactured worktops. Now every worktop has SenSeal technology applied at the company’s fabrication facilities before delivery to the home. This process allows the company to offer a 15-year warranty against discolouration and staining across all the manufactured worksurfaces and ensures that the natural beauty of a Granite worktop is maintained for years to come.

Described as the biggest, brightest and best yet, this year’s Bathroom Conference tackled the serious and tricky subject of “sustainability” and with the world’s population just topping the 7 billion mark the timing of conference could not have been more appropriate. A record turnout of delegates from across the industry and government met in Oxfordshire for a full day of presentations and discussions hosted by Sue Nelson, former science correspondent of BBC Radio 4.

Nolte has joined EQ Software’s growing list of major industry supplier partners. Looking to appoint quality kitchen dealerships throughout the UK, the German brand has chosen EQ as one of the main marketing channels to get this message out.

“We are looking for direct retail partners who are committed to providing quality kitchens and the highest level of customer services,” says Nolte’s export operation manager Richard Pedgrift.

Granite Transformations has developed an iPad app that enables customers to preview exactly how worktops, doors, drawer fronts and other elements will appear in their own homes. The innovative iGranite app allows users to photograph their kitchen then manipulate the image to try out different combinations.

Domestic & General, the leading provider of warranty services, is delighted to announce that after enjoying considerable success in Italy and UK, Indesit Company has agreed to extend its product protection services to additional markets across Europe. Indesit Company is one of Europe’s leading manufacturers and distributors of major domestic appliances, and this 3-year agreement will provide Domestic & General with the exclusive rights to provide warranty products for around 3.5 million products.

Second Nature’s contemporary Remo range by PWS has been awarded Designer Magazine’s 2011 Gold Award for product innovation. The Awards reward products that highlight the vital role of designers and manufacturers in driving innovation in the home. The design process for Remo evolved the handleless kitchen concept, combining curved-cabinetry to create distinctive designs.

Domestic & General, the leading specialist warranty services group, is delighted to announce that Mark Berryman has been appointed as an Executive Director of the Domestic and General Group Holdings and joins the Group Board with effect from 1 September 2011. Mark is currently the Group Marketing Director, where he has helped the UK business grow its turnover by more than £150m per year.

Beko has brought celebrity mum and TV presenter Kirsty Gallacher onboard to back its nationwide Beko Mums United campaign to engage mums in their child’s sporting activities. The activity demonstrates the company’s commitment to raising awareness of the Beko brand and its range of home appliance solutions with consumers.

Eurocare Showers is moving to a new manufacturing facility that will provide twice the company’s current floor space, opening for business January 2012. “It was crucial the timing was right so as to cause as little disruption as possible to our customers,” explains managing director Mike Holborn. “We took occupancy of the new site at the end of September and gradually moved the manufacturing process in stages.

With the acquisition by Ours Sanitary Ware Ltd of the previous Ideal Standard Manufacturing facility in Middlewich – Imperial Sanitary Ware Ltd have launched their presence in the UK market. Through its subsidiary Ours Sanitary Ware (a sister company to the UK’s Impulse Bathrooms) it will re-start the facility over the next few months – leading to a total of about 150 Jobs by May 2012.

Hotpoint is launching a £4 million advertising campaign for its new Aqualtis laundry range, introducing the concept of High Definition Washing to millions of UK consumers. The multi-media campaign which runs until the end of the year, focuses on the advanced new hydro-thermal technology employed by Aqualtis which ensures that coloured and dark garments retain their original colours and whites stay bright, wash after wash.

The launch of the new design show W12 – Working with Design will be an important national event for KBB designers, manufacturers and retailers. Scheduled for 7-10 October 2012 at the NEC the event will run alongside the established W12 Working with Wood technology exhibition for the furniture industry. W12 Working with Design is specifically attracting exhibitors whose products allow KBB designers, manufacturers and retailers to differentiate and individualise their products.

When it comes to bathroom and kitchen design, there are a large variety of tiling options to consider. Whether you’re making the most of the benefits of flooring with under-tile heating or simply looking for a vibrant wall tile to give you a bathroom or kitchen to be proud of – tiles will always be a major component of any bathroom or kitchen project. So it is always best to take advice from the experts – and where better to start than the tile industry’s trade association?

Ellis Furniture is celebrating yet another round of successes after securing new kitchen furniture accounts including Napier Bathrooms and Interiors in Edinburgh, Marlin Interiors in Amesbury, Simply Bathrooms in Ripon and Basin Bath & Beyond of Chester, to name just four. The wins, which are a combination of new accounts and development of existing bathroom retailers into kitchens, come hot on the heels of a period of significant investment from the leading manufacturer.

Mark Prince and Dave Tutton, the ex Managing Director and Marketing Director of Jacuzzi UK, have announced that they have purchased the Ceramic Factory based in Newcastle Under Lyme from the Jacuzzi Group. The company will be named Silverdale Bathrooms Ltd., and will continue to be managed by the current ceramic production team based on this Staffordshire site, supported by the new owners.

Sinks, taps and accessories manufacturer, Reginox UK, has appointed Jason Granville as Regional Sales Manager for the South. Jason’s brief encompasses building on Reginox’s retail customer base and increasing brand awareness in the South East and Home Counties, whilst simultaneously maintaining and developing relationships with the company’s existing customers across the region.

Research in to the cooking habits of 2000 women was commissioned by Amica appliances to mark the release of its new range of ovens that clean themselves with water alone. Most women agreed that it was ‘instinctual’ for them to want to cook for their partner and that as a result their kitchen repertoire has more than doubled since they moved in together.

The Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialists Association presented the KBSA supplier awards at the 2011 kbbr Kitchen Conference. The awards recognise excellence in those companies that supply products to KBSA retailers and are the only awards of their kind that represent the views of retailers and not a panel of judges.

Moores has kitted out two new vans with full displays to showcase its new modular bathroom range for Shades. The vans have been clocking up miles travelling across the UK to various retailers, demonstrating the contemporary and flexible range of modular bathroom furniture Shades has to offer.

Blum provides top quality vocational training to ensure it has the specialists it needs for the future. 53 young men and 11 young women started their vocational training in one of the skilled trades offered by Blum in Hoechst on 1 September. Blum USA took on three new apprentices. Currently, a total of 261 young people are serving an apprenticeship with Blum – eight of whom at the company’s American subsidiary.

One of the most frequent questions received in the BMA office concerns the WC. Both professionals and consumers ask us about toilet flushing and what are the current maximum and minimum flush volumes allowed in law. The absolute maximum flush volume allowed in a new installation, whether single flush or dual flush, is 6 litres. The Water Regulations (1999) govern maximum flush volume.

Giving the consumer inspiration on bathroom design as well as pointing them in the direction of Geberit displaying showrooms are just some of the key features of the newly launched microsite from Geberit. The site, at www.geberit.co.uk/wall-hung, is packed full of design ideas for bathrooms and wetrooms and users can easily find a showroom local to them to come see the products for themselves using the new dealer locator tool.

Aqualux was approached for the second time to supply an Organic Walk-In shower surround to the Channel Five television programme Cowboy Builders for use in a stylish refurbishment project. In the episode, Simon and Diane from Guildford now have a beautiful new home including a luxurious en suite bathroom complete with an Aqualux AquaSpace Organic Walk-In shower surround specifically requested by the designer on the show.

A design centre has been incorporated at the heart of the recently refurbished Northumbria Building at Renolit Cramlington. It creates a permanent display of the company’s products and provides an impressive environment for customers to visit. The striking exterior façade is created by combining windows made from Renolit EXOFOL MX Hazy Grey Finesse with matching Hazy Grey Finesse cladding top and bottom, contrasted in the middle with Siena PR.

RAK Ceramics’ porcelain tiles and slabs have been specified throughout the Radisson Edwardian Mercer Street Hotel in London’s Covent Garden. Totalling over 6,000 m2, the installation forms part of a £15 million refurbishment of the boutique hotel and spans all bathrooms and public areas.

Baumatic has assumed full ownership and control of its Chinese manufacturing division in Shunde. The company will now roll out its programme for European innovation to China and the rest of Asia. While design and manufacture will continue through the company’s main European factories, this acquisition will enable Baumatic to strengthen the brand’s worldwide identity by securing the creation of a cohesive global range of products.

With the transition of Parapan® complete, LandaHoldings Ltd is now the exclusive manufacturer/supplier of High Gloss Acrylic Parapan® in the UK. The company will continue to offer the full range of 22 colours comprising sophisticated neutrals and vibrant brights, in both the 18mm and 4mm thicknesses.

Over the last few years specialist under-tile heating systems have become the ‘must have’ for bathrooms and kitchens. They give that added feel of luxury and free up valuable wall space in rooms where that space is at a premium. They can be fitted on top of existing floor surfaces so there’s no need to dig up floors and they are very thin so there is noticeable extra height to the floor.

An Amica upright freezer and two larder fridges were used by the contestants in the first series of Cookery School currently being aired on Channel 4 and also available on 4oD. Cookery School is a daily cookery competition hosted by Irish Michelin Star celebrity chef Richard Corrigan and food writer, chef and TV presenter Gizzi Erskine. In the programme, Richard and Gizzi teach the secrets of great cooking from the basics to advanced level including soufflés, oysters and sauces as well as techniques from spatchcocking to sugar spinning.

For the third successive year BSH Customer Service has won Domestic & General’s Total Excellence and Quality (TEQ) customer service award for its Bosch, Neff and Siemens home appliance brands. In the annual independent survey of over 420,000 customers who had an engineer’s visit in the past 12 months, 94.8% rated BSH Customer Service as excellent or good in the white goods manufacturers’ category.

The tangible benefits and significant cost savings that come from membership of the Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialists Association have never been more important and a new commercial van insurance offer has proved extremely beneficial for at least one member. Retail member Kitchen Design Centre of Excellence on the Wirral has just taken up the new commercial van insurance offer from KBSA supplier MHC and saved £210. This represents a saving of 33% on this year’s renewal from his existing longstanding insurer.

Bob Marsden has taken over the position of UK Country Manager for the retail sector with German kitchen manufacturer Nolte Küchen. With effect from 1st August 2011, he will be responsible for further developing Nolte's direct dealer network throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Aquapanel Interior tile backing board from Knauf Drywall has eliminated tiling defects for Cavanna Homes over the past five years, during which it has built nearly 600 dwellings. “When tiled walls are subjected to heavy splashing as in a shower the slightest defect in tiling can damage the bond between tile and board or the plasterboard itself,” says commercial manager Mike Bennett. “Since we started using Aquapanel Interior we haven’t had any callbacks for this problem.”

The concept of sustainability, which was once just an aspiration for the eco-aware, is now fully embedded in all aspects of the construction industry. The realisation that there is a need to create water and energy efficient homes has grown, in just a decade, to become the most talked about topic and to reflect this The Annual Bathroom Conference on 9 November 2011 fully embraces sustainability as its theme.

Uform has been crowned Best Supplier to the independent kitchen and retail manufacturing sector at the Kitchen Retailer Ireland Awards. Established in 1993, Uform has grown to become one of the UK’s largest manufacturers and distributors of kitchen doors and components.

To keep pace with a packed product development program, PWS have strengthened the company’s design capabilities with the appointment of designers Richard Donaldson and Emma Gains. Richard takes up the role of product designer. He graduated from the Glasgow School of Art and the California College of Arts San Francisco with an honours degree in design and brings with him extensive and invaluable experience in product and interaction design.

F & P Wholesale has launched a new look website, offering customers even more product information and online ordering facilities at the click of a button. The easy to navigate website has been refreshed to provide independent merchants, bathroom and fire retailers with the latest news, product launches and current promotions.

Karonia, provider of the Mistral range of genuine 25mm solid surface worktops, has introduced a new website at www.karonia.com. Designed to be simple to navigate, the site presents comprehensive and detailed information on the range in a series of short, easily assimilated sections.

MHS has supplied radiators to Urban Interior, a Villeroy & Boch and SieMatic centre of excellence. “We are delighted to have MHS Radiators on board,” says manager Ankur Chopra. “Their stylish range complements our existing high quality bathroom and kitchen products. Within Urban Interior we aim to deliver a ‘one stop shop’ for customers, making it quick and easy to visualise products in ‘real life’ settings.”

Modern house building techniques are using more factory-assembled units or modules, to shorten construction times and reduce costs. This trend is increasing bringing with it the challenge of having to bond tiles to a range of dry lining partition wall systems and proprietary composite joist and board overlay products for floors. In older properties floors that are often constructed of timber joists and floor boards create a similar challenge.

Blum UK recently exhibited at the 20th anniversary in-house show of one of their main distributors, Hills Panel Products. Blum took the opportunity of the 2-day event to introduce their new Movento drawer runner system for wooden drawers with a new synchronised full-extension motion, integrated Blumotion soft close and new 4-way adjustment. Also on show was Blum’s Servo-Drive automatic electric opening system and opening and closing for the Aventos overhead cabinet lift systems.

As part of a continued commitment to supporting retailers, Burbidge has launched a new trade specific website to make the ordering process even easier. The website (www.burbidge.co.uk/online) has been designed to give retailers a more efficient means of ordering from Burbidge’s extensive breadth of products in real time, seven days a week.

Carron Phoenix is supporting Oxfam Unwrapped with a commitment to purchase the charity’s Safe Water for 10 People gifts, with donations generated from every tap sold. The initiative will initially run until 31 December 2011 and applies to all taps in Carron Phoenix’s portfolio, including the seven latest additions.

Roca has recently appointed Claygate Distribution to become its distributor for the South and the East. The company provides bathroom and plumbing products to the merchant and retail trade from its base in Marden, Kent on a next day delivery basis.

The KBSA has announced that this year’s AGM will take on a new format, offering members a chance to hear from some respected industry speakers and attend a networking dinner afterwards.

This year’s in-house exhibition at Pronorm during MOW is set to be a key event as the company opens its new multi-million pound showroom and unveils its latest product developments. Pronorm’s new showroom consolidates all of the company’s activities on one site for product research and development, production, sales management and customer service, as well as being a highly modern communications centre.

EQ Software’s extensive training programme in kbb business management skills is to be officially recognised as it becomes the latest leading industry name to become a member of the National Training Group. “I am so pleased EQ Software has come on board with us,” comments CEO of NTG Renee Mascari.

For the third successive year, BSH Customer Service has won Domestic & General’s coveted Total Excellence and Quality (TEQ) customer service award for its Bosch, Neff, Siemens and Gaggenau home appliance brands. In the annual independent survey of over 420,000 customers who had an engineer’s visit in the past 12 months, 94.8% rated BSH Customer Service as excellent or good in the white goods manufacturers’ category.

Surface materials distributor IDS has been awarded OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series), further enhancing its commitment to health and safety across 11 branches nationwide together with five other company locations, giving it a market leading position within its industry sector.

IDS has notched up £1m worth of sales on its e-commerce site IDS Webstore which allows trade customers a 24/7 online solution with product ordering, account management and delivery tracking. IDS was the first distributor in its sector to launch an on-line shopping service to trade customers giving them 24/7 flexibility to purchase from its extensive portfolio of work surfaces, flooring and Showerwall waterproof wall panelling.

Moores Furniture Group has doubled the size of its retail sales team to meet increasing demand for its Four Seasons and Shades brands and support the company’s ambitious growth plans. The leading manufacturer of kitchen and bathroom furniture says the move will provide greater coverage for its Four Seasons kitchens and Shades bathrooms brands across the UK and a stronger presence within retailers.

The new on-line Water Calculator, developed by the BMA and Waterwise East is fast becoming the ‘must have’ in the bathroom designer’s tool box. Created to aid industry professionals the Water Calculator is a web-based tool which automatically calculates the water-consumption in new houses. The calculator makes it easier for the designer to calculate how much water is theoretically consumed, based on the bathroom and kitchen products which they have chosen.

Pronorm continues to strengthen its position in the kitchen sector as the company further expands its UK dealership with five new retailers signing up to sell its contemporary kitchen furniture within the past two months. Iroko Kitchens in Lytham St Annes is a new business start-up while Kitchen Trends in Ayr, Living Design in Belfast, Pure Design in Leeds and Distinctive Kitchens in Prescot are either switching brands or complementing their current offer with Pronorm, signalling a growing confidence in the brand.

Harvey Softeners has recently celebrated the 100,000th product to come from the company’s factory in Surrey, an area with notoriously ‘hard’ water. This gala event was celebrated with a party for clients, friends and staff and local MP Jonathan Lord.

Whether you are renovating or reinvigorating, tiles are a must have for all bathrooms. When it comes to decorating too often bathrooms are neglected, but with the help of a TTA member an outstanding finish can be achieved every time – not only providing the bathroom of your dreams, but also adding value to your property.

Ideal Bathrooms has secured exclusive national distributorship for Villeroy & Boch Bathrooms. Renowned for its quality and style, this high profile brand fits perfectly within Ideal Bathrooms’ plans to grow its luxury market business. A primary characteristic of its products is their perfect coordination which guarantees consumers not only a reliable and consistent presentation of style but a sure way to express their individual reality through V&B’s four lifestyle segments which take into account the highly varied tastes and design preferences of consumers.

Domestic & General now has 10 million customers worldwide, confirming its growth and resilience in the prevailing economic climate. For over 60 years the company has provided product protection for major domestic appliances, consumer electronic products and central heating systems. In recent years growth has been driven largely by a clear customer focus and continuous product development.

2011 is a landmark year for LittleJohn, the leading Hampshire-based bathroom retailer, who celebrate their 20^th anniversary in September. Founded by Bill Gosney and his wife Pearl in 1991, the family-run business has flourished over the years and today employs 18 people and has designed and installed around 2,500 quality bathrooms across Hampshire, West Sussex and Surrey.

Launched in 2009, Triflow Future Talents is a competition which aims to encourage young designers to design a new kitchen or bathroom product. As manufacturer of the first three-way tap delivering hot, cold and purified water through a dedicated tube in the same spout, we value innovative engineering design. The Triflow Future Talents competition is an opportunity to build upon our own expertise and support emerging design talent.

The news that high street names such as Moben, Dolphin, Sharps and Habitat, as well as Focus DIY have gone into administration is a stark reminder of the need to promote the confidence afforded by KBSA membership, comments KBSA CEO Graham Ball.

BSH Customer Service has introduced an online booking system for the convenience of customers of its prestigious Bosch, Siemens and Neff domestic appliance brands. As an alternative to phoning the BSH Contact Centre customers can now book appointments at any time of the day or night via the customer service sections of the individual brand websites.

Legal proceedings issued by PWS Distributors against Moben in November 2010 for the alleged infringement of the design and trademark rights in the Metris Wave Curve may have been brought to a premature close with the news that the Homeform Group called in the administrators on 6 July. PWS claim that the design of Moben's Curved Wave product was not only a copy of the Metris Wave Curve but also carried a name that was too close to their name which is a registered trademark.

British made Premier shower trays are produced using the Pearlstone Matrix, a patented technology using an acrylic capped polyurethane resin which includes volcanic ash. This is up to fifty percent lighter than a conventional stone tray without sacrificing any of the strength and rigidity of stone.

Echoing the opulent quality of what is a quintessentially British stone native to the English Lake District, new signature packaging has been designed to house a sample of each of Burlington’s sumptuous and highly-tactile six natural stone colours and two limestones. Primarily aimed at architects, specifiers and interior designers, the sample packaging and its contents serve to give recipients an immediate appreciation of the quality and tactility of Burlington and its natural stone colour palette.

Beko has recently completed a five week roadshow showcasing the latest product range in 17 locations across the UK and Ireland. The Beko Roadshow gave contractors, designers and stockists across the UK and Ireland their first look at the full 21 product portfolio and further demonstrated the brand’s commitment to offering more for the consumer.

Following negotiations with on-line retailer TileClick, British Ceramic Tile has agreed to sell its four trade warehouses located in Bristol, Swindon, Gloucester and Cardiff. The outlets will continue to operate as usual to provide service and value to the trade market; the sale will also enable them to expand into the retail sector.

Leading British kitchen manufacturer, Burbidge has reported a significant thirty per cent increase in Norwegian sales already this year. This unprecedented performance follows a continued market growth for Burbidge in Norway over recent years. Tellingly, the most popular ranges favoured by Norwegian customers are the best-selling Lansdowne, a traditional shaker-style kitchen, and Petworth, a classic, solid oak in-frame design.

The new website www.uberfurniture.co.uk is sure to offer inspiration to customers and kitchen designers alike! All sorts of modern ideas for the perfect cooking, dining and living space are shown explored.

Geberit has further extended its retail sales force to a team of 13 with the appointment of Marnie Hopkinson as retail area sales manager Yorkshire. Joining the company from Triton Showers where she worked for more than 10 years in a variety of sales roles, Marnie’s role at Geberit will involve developing the wall-hung concept and sales across the Yorkshire and Humberside region, focusing on retail showrooms.

Caesarstone has recently appointed Liam Grant to the UK team, and will serve showrooms throughout Scotland and the North East of England. This new appointment highlights the company’s commitment to future growth and strengthens their position in the UK market, “I am delighted to be joining Caesarstone and look forward to making a positive impact on the company’s future success.”

In a major initiative through its dealers which started on 1 August Carron Phoenix is supporting Oxfam’s gifting initiative Oxfam Unwrapped with a commitment to purchase the charity’s Safe Water for 10 People gifts with donations generated from every tap sold.

After asking our members to send images of their latest ranges for this column I realised that there is a lot of black around and a lot of mosaics. Some customers embrace fashion trends and really want the very latest in colour and design but a new kitchen or bathroom can be a large financial undertaking and that tends to make homeowners more cautious.

The Water Efficiency Product labelling scheme (WEPLS) operated by the BMA has received a further endorsement from EQ Software. The UK’s leading business management software provider will incorporate water efficient products registered on WEPLS into the system, for specification and order by retailers.

National supplier of fitted kitchens and bedrooms Lanzet (Interior Contracts) has unveiled a new brand identity bringing to life its core values of craftsmanship, quality, dedication and precision, attributes that have been at the heart of the business for 25 years. It has also simplified its brand name, dropping ‘Interior Contracts’.

Intatec is giving away an Apple iPad to whoever finds a golden ticket in the box containing its millionth anti-scald valve. To be in with a chance, all installers need to do is purchase an IntaMix valve. IntaMix offers the most comprehensive anti-scald range on the market, making the right TMV easy to specify and with the introduction of a new L pattern versions, easy to retro-fit under baths and basins.

Tilers buying any 12 products from BAL’s Go Greener range of Environmentally Responsible Adhesives will protect at least 50 m2 of rainforest and earn an exclusive T-shirt or limited edition van sticker. To earn their free gift, a tiler collects a promotional Green Card from their local participating BAL stockist and ticks a frog on it for every Go Greener product they buy.

The Tile Association Awards celebrate all that is best in the wall and floor tile industry. Ones of most interest to your industry will be Best use of tile by a house developer which is open to any development of multiple homes or apartments. Many readers will work with small and large developers and TTA would welcome nominations for the 2012 awards in this category. Nominations do not open until the autumn.

Building Adhesives Limited (BAL) has become the first tiling manufacturer to be appointed a Partner of Cool Earth, the pioneering organisation working to protect threatened rainforests. Cool Earth receives a donation for every pack sold from BAL’s Go Greener range of Environmental Adhesives which are all manufactured using recycled content.

When, in 2007, the government fired the starting gun in the race for zero carbon homes the bathroom industry responded well. It shot out of the starting blocks and the activity now taking place in creating water and energy efficiency in the bathroom is quite staggering, and expanding.

PWS’ new barrel curves have achieved registered design status. The development of the 1000mm wide barrel curve fascia is the culmination of 18 months’ product development and research, resulting in a design that’s original and offers a completely different look to other curved kitchens on the market.

BSH Customer Service, the manufacturer’s service organisation for the Bosch, Neff and Siemens brands, has expanded its product advice support team. Together with his experienced team of full-time advisors, newly-promoted supervisor Mick Inskipp (pictured far left) is responsible for providing extensive pre-sales and post-sales advice for all the brands.

KBSA CEO Graham Ball reflects on the experience of attending the KBB exhibition which was held at The Excel Centre London in May. “After all the hype we attended KBB with a little apprehension, not certain what would happen – but we need not have worried! It was buzzing for all 3 days, and whilst the visitor mix was different each day, the show produced a real vibe for the industry.

Over the past 25 years there has been considerable infrastructure investment for leisure, sporting and recreational opportunities for adults yet, in the same period, the nation has spent far less on facilities and opportunities for young people. The result is that too many youngsters spend their leisure time on the streets or try to join the adult world of pubs and clubs long before they should.

As part of its ongoing commitment to support the charity Cancer Research UK, leading British manufacturer Ellis Furniture is donating £30,000 during the next three years to continue its funding of work carried out by Cancer Research UK Leeds Centre, taking the total amount pledged over the years by generations of the Ellis family to more than £100,000.

Craven Dunnill, the Bridgnorth based tile distributor, has added the prestigious Minton Hollins collection to its ceramic tile portfolio.  The Minton Hollins brand epitomises the classic styling and craftsmanship of the Victorian era, when the fashion for English-made, decorative ceramic wall and floor tiles was at its height, and today the distinctive style continues to appeal to those customers seeking a period look with traditional charm.

A Rayburn Heatranger 680KCD cooker and an AGA Rayburn solar hot water system have been installed at a newly refurbished home in Upton on Severn, Worcestershire.

The Heatranger powers the central heating and supports the solar hot water system when needed, while acting as a focal point in the kitchen. The solar hot water system comprises two AGA Rayburn evacuated tube solar collectors and a 300 litre hot water cylinder.

JT is supporting its staff as they take part in the 10k Jane Tomlinson run on 19 June. After a recent signing to sponsor Leeds Carnegie’s England World Cup winner hooker Steve Thompson, staff have been inspired to get involved.

The seven members of staff including sales and marketing director John Schofield and finance director Lee Walker will be running to raise money for the local Leeds Children’s Charity.

Impulse Bathrooms decided to get its 4.5/3 Tribune WC suite and EVO flush valve WRAS approved in 2005 - the first 4.5/3 WRAS certified flush in the UK.

The net result of this effort and expenditure was ‘practically zero’ according to general manager Gary Hawkins. He says the Tribune suite sells very well because of its compact 615mm projection, good looks and most importantly to the majority of customers, its competitive price. 

A total of 200 inset stainless steel sinks from Leisure Sinks’ Lexin range are being installed at the Victoria Park Estate in Hackney, London. The new kitchens form part of Guinness South’s Decent Homes refurbishment.

“It’s really important that in these kinds of refurbishments tenants are left with good quality kitchens and bathrooms,” comments project manager Peter Neubauer. “We always choose products that are built to last. The Lexin sinks have the BSI Kite Mark which gives added reassurance.”

The 2011 Tile Association Awards celebrate all that is best in the wall and floor tile industry.  The products shown here were given the accolade “the best in the market” by the industry.

Franke has won the prestigious Red Dot Design award for the new Centinox sink which has been launched to celebrate Franke’s centenary.

The Centinox encompasses elegance, style and precision engineering; it is a “slim-top” sink which gives the appearance of a fashionable undermount model.

Croydex, the leading manufacturer and supplier of quality bathroom accessories, showers and fittings, has further expanded its retail sales team with the appointment of Stephen Porter to the position of Commercial Manager.

In his new role Stephen will take overall account responsibility for some of Croydex’s biggest retail customers as well as seeking new business opportunities in order to promote the Croydex brand even further.

Roca has recently acquired Akvaton, a leading Russian company specialising in bathroom products, strengthening its leadership position worldwide.

With a share of around 15% of the Russian market, Akvaton manufactures sanitaryware and ‘solid surface’ washbasins.

GROHE has appointed former product manager David Baldry as UK marketing manager. David will be responsible for driving customer insight, strategy, brand, sponsorship and communications. He will also play a vital role in the successful implementation of the new GROHE Trade Club loyalty programme, designed to build advocacy and brand reputation among the installer community.

BSH Customer Service has introduced an online booking system for the convenience of customers of its prestigious Bosch, Siemens and Neff domestic appliance brands.

As an alternative to phoning the BSH Contact Centre customers can now book appointments at any time of the day or night via the customer service sections of the individual brand websites.

Under a sole national distributor agreement Ideal Bathrooms will now stock the full range of Bette products to offer its retailers an even greater choice of premier brands.

Bette specialises in baths and shower trays including the BETTEONE range, a distinctive design with a wide edge comprising baths, shower trays and basins in a uniform, linear design.

GRASS MOVEMENT SYSTEMS LTD is an exciting new venture and has been developed to work together with both our dealer network and the manufacturer.

Customers are also invited to bring their potential and existing clients to see the very latest in opening and closing technology.

Ideal Bathrooms 30th anniversary promotion is well under way and the company is thrilled with the response from customers.

“Our delivery drivers are giving out the scratch cards and the redemption rate is 20% so there have been lots of retailers winning prizes,” comments commercial director Danielle Lillis.

Blum’s advanced furniture fittings and systems and beautifully made wooden drawers are perfect for the 21st century luxury hotel. The basis for its Perfect Motion technology is its Tandem runner engineered to run smoothly and perfection under full or empty load.

With their integrated Blumotion soft close system the runners are easily fitted to the cabinet interior walls and the drawers simply placed onto the locking mechanism which also offers quick release for removal at any stage.

In a first for UK industry, Glen Dimplex Home Appliances has launched a new service brand to make the company’s UK-based maintenance, repair and customer care operation available to businesses seeking an outsourced service solution for their appliances and heating products.

EQ Software has announced another year of sales and profits growth. The latest year’s unaudited figures for the year ending 31 March 2011 indicate that the company has increased its sales (over the previous year) by 38% and operating profits by more than 100%.

The KBSA (Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialists Association) has launched a new guide that explains the changes being made to energy labels and gives guidance on the impact of buying more energy efficient appliances. The guide will help retailers to advise customers on energy ratings.

The new EU labelling will be in use from June 2011, providing information on the energy consumption rating of appliances as manufacturers introduce a new generation of energy efficient models.

From over 3,000 entries, Andover kitchen fitter and joiner Chris Mayne has been named as a finalist in a national competition organised by trade retailer Screwfix – and is now battling it out with nine other finalists from across the country to take home the national title and a brand new van.

A 49-year-old joiner from Andover, Hampshire, Chris has more than 30 years experience in the business.

Chris puts his success down to his versatility and the fact that he always listens to his customers. What’s more, the ambitious worker spotted a gap in the market and has just started a garage conversion company to help those customers looking to expand.

Triton’s extended T80Z range includes new thermostatic, Slimline and Eco options offering separate power and temperature controls; a start/stop button; and a five-spray showerhead.

The company’s wax capsule technology provides the thermostatic stability for the affordable T80Z thermostatic models, making them the quickest and easiest fit for installers.

The KBSA (Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialists Association) has announced that The Symphony Group, the UK’s largest privately owned manufacturer of fitted kitchens, bedrooms and bathroom furniture is the latest industry supplier to become a corporate member.

Bathroom pods in the Alistair Mackintosh showroom have been replaced recently to showcase new ranges of natural stone, ceramic and porcelain tiles. All tiles were fixed with Ultra Tile ProFlex SP in white and finished with Ultra Tile WideJoint grout in limestone.

Additionally, all fit services provided by Alistair Mackintosh use Ultra Tile adhesives and grouts to provide that professional durable finish.

Impey UK has appointed Martin Carroll as managing director. With a wealth of experience working for companies such as Armitage Shanks, Ideal Standard and Ideal Bathrooms, he will be responsible for the development of the product brands.

Have you noticed how very digital we all now are? It wasn’t so long ago when HD TVs, digital photo frames, iPods and iPads were just a dream. And when they were first introduced they were way beyond our normal household budget. But today, advanced digital gizmos sell in their millions. Our homes are packed with them. Digital technology has matured and has also become well established in the bathroom.

The Fuelcard People has become the preferred fuel card supplier of NegotiateNOW, the online discount directory whose member businesses can obtain products and services at preferential pricing.

“Our priority was to select a fuel card supplier giving real discounts on both petrol and diesel because NegotiateNOW is all about saving money,” comments CEO Stephen Lyall. “The Fuelcard People offers significant savings, is the only supplier covering every major fuel brand and supports all that with a named, dedicated account manager for every customer.”

Every year, Mereway Kitchens transports a range of new furniture to Cyan Studios, Leeds where inspirational kitchen sets are built, propped and photographed for their brochures. 

Four displays have been donated to a local Oxfam store. The cabinets range from robust full height pull-out larder units, base units with pull-out waste bins and exciting corner carousels, pull-up bi-fold wall units, luxury pan drawers and display feature end units.

CaesarStone quartz surfaces were the ideal choice for Hart-Woods Signature Kitchens to display in their luxurious showroom.

Hart-Woods Signature Kitchens, located in Prestbury, Cheshire, is a magnificent showroom which boasts style and sophistication.  When they required new kitchen displays which would uphold their excellent reputation, they turned to CaesarStone.

ECF continue their support for Matt Hampson trust by attending the latest fund raising event.

The 6 Nations dinner was held at the Battersea Evolution arena and included appearances from around 40 past and present rugby players.

JT, the UK’s leading shower tray manufacturer, has signed a major deal with Sanipex Group, a leading supplier of quality bathrooms, tiles and plumbing materials across the Middle East and Central Asia, to distribute JT’s extensive line of products in the UAE and Indian markets.

The new export agreement, the second in 2011, follows JT’s recent announcement with Konig to supply the €2.2 billion German market with their collection of designer trays.

Mira Showers – the UK’s leading manufacturer of showering products and accessories – has delivered yet another first for the bathroom specification sector with launch of its online, interactive shower enclosure selector.

This tool takes visitors through the process of selecting a shower enclosure step-by-step to choose the right style, shape, ‘handedness’ and size; so they identify the perfect item for their needs. 

Ideal Bathrooms maintains a large stockholding of the best top brand water saving products that conform to the new Part G Building Regulations.

Twyfords WCs with Flushwise - a 4/ 2.6 litre dual flush toilet system which cuts water used by more than 60% - is available on Galerie, Galerie Plan, Grace and Moda ranges.

Whether your customer is a householder looking for a kitchen makeover or a commercial landlord looking for the most economical fit out for 20 loft apartments, environmental issues will be a factor in their decision making.  Legislation and publicity are forcing us all to think green.

PWS’ Second Nature Painted Collection has won Homebuilding & Renovating Magazine’s coveted product excellence award for best kitchen innovation. Coming just three months after it scooped House Beautiful’s gold award, this collection is rapidly becoming one of the most renowned ranges on the market.

Fusion by 20-20 Technologies has teamed up with Poggenpohl to sponsor the award for Kitchen Design over £25,000 at the 17th annual KBB Review Industry Awards.

Delivering leading kitchen and bathroom design software for the home improvement sector, 20-20 Technologies joins Poggenpohl to recognise the skill of the kitchen designer in producing practical results and their ability to budget, problem solve and meet the client's brief.

Following on from the success with customers of its Corporate Social Responsibility brochure, IDS has produced Sustainable Solutions.

The concise brochure sets out the company’s commitment to sustainability and environmental issues. Customers are assured that when buying from IDS they are trading in products that have been sourced from legal, ethical and sustainable sources.

Leading UK interior surface materials distributor, David Clouting, have announced two new sales appointments. Andrew Buffrey joins as Commercial Manager for the London area and Julie Lester as Northern Sales Manager. Andrew was previously Architectural Sales Manager for Cosentino and has extensive experience in the architectural and interior design sectors.

Entries have been flooding in from Rotherham’s tradesmen for the chance to be named Britain’s Top Tradesman – with an incredible prize available for the lucky winner.

From the entries received so far, there have been some heroic acts and gestures. Some have battled through snow and ice to get the job done, while others help elderly customers to get essential repairs done for free. Many have diversified their businesses to make it through the recession – and all are keen to get their hands on the Top Tradesman title.

Screwfix has launched its latest catalogue featuring key additions to ranges such as cleaning, landscaping, heating and cooling and electrical.

Catalogue 105 has the tools for spring cleaning tasks with updated models of Karcher pressure washers offering improved motor technology, design and functionality. New products in the Nilfisk Alto range deliver great results at excellent value.

Roca is making considerable further investment in its UK operations. At a time when the bathroom industry is still feeling the effects of the economic downturn, this initiative together with the scheduled opening of the Roca London Gallery later this year provide an enormous morale boost for the UK and a real opportunity to drive further growth in the market.

High gloss acrylic Parapan® is increasingly being specified for innovating design projects. Here it has been used in the Scottish University Centre for Excellence in Computer Games Education at the University of Abertay, Dundee, Scotland.

“Parapan® has been used in a sculptural form that connects all the spaces together and houses services, reception, displays and lighting. The black high gloss helps to reflect light and energy, the key media used by computer games. It has been used in combination with a translucent stretch membrane behind which are coloured LEDs.” - Joseph Narsapur of Archial (Architects).

The UK’s largest supplier and fabricator of stone products F. Jones of Cleveland has appointed Chris Byrne as commercial director.

Chris brings over 40 years of commercial experience to the post, having worked in both the commercial and domestic construction industry as well as being a consultant to several stone suppliers and fabricators.

It was bow ties and cocktail dresses all round for the staff of HPP for as they

celebrated their 20th birthday with a James Bond - Casino Royale themed party at a local hotel. Over 150 people attended with staff past and present coming together to celebrate. The current workforce still includes seven members of staff who have been with the company since 1991 and one of the high points of the evening was the presentation of commemorative watch to each of these.

At the 2011 TTA Award ceremony BKU Magazine presented the award for Best use of tile in a private house to Natural Stone Emporium Ltd for work at Hanson Hall, Cheshire.

Hanson Hall is owned by one of Natural Stone Emporium’s private clients. A stunning property, partly listed, it has significant historical importance, with the original section of the house dating back to 1400. The owner has sympathetically restored the property, but has been keen to give it a contemporary, stylish feel that enhances the original structure.

Croydex has a new website showcasing its complete portfolio of products in the most comprehensive way possible to an online audience.

Split into categories for each product range including rods and rails, shower curtains, cabinets and storage, wall-mounted accessories and assistive bathing - the website can be easily updated as new products and innovations are brought to market, keeping the site current for all customers.

Bushboard has invested £1.8m on a new worktop line at its Wellingborough-based manufacturing plant.

“Our investment-led approach in recent years reflects the progression of the worktop market and our drive to maintain our leading position,” explains managing director Stuart White. “The new worktop line secures our strengths in product quality, innovation and customer service and gives us a strong platform for future growth.”

Showerwall has appointed York-based Q4 Bathrooms to be a distributor for its waterproof wallpanelling product, expanding further the product’s availability nationwide. Q4 has two locations in York and Manchester servicing the North and North West of England, making Showerwall now available from nineteen distribution points nationwide including IDS, Ideal Bathrooms, Showerlux and Formula 1, on a delivery lead time of 24-48 hours.

PWS’ Second Nature collection has a new, interactive website designed to make the research and purchase of a new kitchen as informative, inspiring and stress-free as possible. With improved user interface, unique design tools and navigation, it is expected to become the ultimate destination for consumers.

The clever configurator tool enables consumers to choose their preferred style of kitchen and then customise it to their own taste with worktops, handles, paint colours and flooring. Clever storage suggestions are demonstrated with interactive video clips plus design tips and examples of real kitchens.

Stuart Turner, the UK's largest shower pump manufacturer, has recently revised and updated its e-learning training module. The module has been developed to enable bathroom showrooms to access and learn about the aspects of domestic water boosting solutions. The aim of the module is to help showroom staff, guide their customer to select the correct pump for any given application.

Ideal Bathrooms was recently awarded as Supplier of the Year at the National Buying Group (NBG) conference and awards ceremony in the Supplier of bathrooms, kitchens and tiles category.

“We are delighted with the award - it feels great to be appreciated,” comments sales director Rob St Barbe who accepted the award. “Area sales manager Steve Hooley and I have worked hard with NBG to develop and grow business within the group and last year we saw a 35.9% increase with growth across all product ranges.

The increasingly popular Bathroom Academy has received a major facelift and was re-launched at this month’s ecobuild exhibition.

The Bathroom Academy (www.bathroom-academy.co.uk/) is a unique learning portal for the bathroom industry. It is entirely web based and its modules are used in all sectors of the industry, and at all levels. Beginners find the Academy an incredibly helpful start in understanding the rather tricky jargon surrounding bathroom products and more experienced people use the downloadable guides to keep up with the rapidly changing industry. The latest modules go into some depth about selling skills, installation and company law.

Once again KBSA members are prominently recognised in the prestigious KBB Review Industry Awards, with four members being named finalists for five possible awards.

In the Master Retailer Award category, Cambridge Kitchens has been shortlisted and two of the finalists for the Designer Award for kitchens over £25k are Peter Cross, Ream and Keith Myers, The Myers Touch.

In recognition of its commitment to the highest standards of customer service, Four Seasons Kitchens manufacturer Moores Furniture Group was awarded with the title: Furniture Supplier of the Year at a recent event hosted by one of its biggest customers JP Distribution.

Moores Furniture Group supplies JPD with its Four Seasons branded kitchens which the company distributes to its retail customers. This successful working relationship is largely down to both businesses sharing the same passion for offering the best possible service to customers.

Twelve Baumatic customers recently won a prize that dreams are made of when they entered a competition to celebrate the launch of the Range Cooker collection.

Baumatic teamed up with Virgin to offer the winner and a friend the opportunity to enjoy a flight in a hot air balloon. The winners were chosen at random after the closing date. The prize includes a balloon flight from one of 100 UK launch sites, Champagne toast and a certificate signed by Sir Richard Branson.

Challenging cultural conventions is never going to be easy, but when it comes to the Western practice of using toilet paper instead of water for cleaning, it’s hard to understand why it isn’t questioned more often. No one can argue with water’s ability to make us feel clean. We use it to wash our bodies, our hair, our teeth, our hands and faces, so why do we settle for toilet paper when it evidently can’t clean us as efficiently as water?

Craven Dunnill has significantly expanded its distributor arrangement with Schlüter-Systems, stocking a comprehensive range of the company’s products including the Schlüter-Kerdi-Board backer board, Schlüter-Kerdi-Shower and Schlüter-Kerdi-Line walk-in shower systems.

The Fuelcard People has become the first fuel card supplier publicly to support the Van Best Practice initiative. It joins a wide range of supporting organisations including Ford, Vauxhall, TomTom, Lex Autolease, Road Haulage Association, British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association and Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. The government-funded programme aims to help van users save money by improving their vehicles’ operational, environmental and safety performance.

The latest fashion in ceramic floor tiles is wood! Yes, wood effect tiles have been extremely popular in Europe for a few years and they now finding their way onto the British market. Why have wood effect tiles? Most of the wood effect tiles on the UK market are hard wearing porcelain; they have beauty of wood in a product that will last a lifetime in a domestic setting with little or no maintenance. No need to worry about imprints from chair legs or to ask your female visitors to remove their high heeled shoes.

Domestic & General has been selected by LG Electronics UK to provide a comprehensive portfolio of product registration and warranty services. Covering the brand’s class leading home entertainment and home appliances ranges, the five year partnership will further strengthen LG’s service and support operation and broaden the company’s long term relationship with its customers.

LDL, the nationwide distributor of quality furniture fittings, has joined forces with AH Distributors of Cumbernauld to form LDL (Scotland) Ltd. Designed to consolidate and strengthen LDL’s presence in Scotland, the office and showroom will be run by Lloyd Connachan, founding director of AH Distributors.

Key to the sustained growth of Betta Living is the company’s introduction of EQ’s business management software into 25 sites, demonstrating the system has the capability to satisfy the complex demands of multiple retailers. More than 100 staff will use the software predominantly in the marketing, installation and aftercare departments.

Imperial Ware and Impulse Bathrooms have experienced difficulties in common with all companies producing or sourcing in China – in being able to respond quickly to customer demand.

“The new ranges launched at the KBB Show were so well received we have had some delays in meeting orders - a situation we refuse to allow to continue,” comments Imperial Bathroom Products Group MD Jan Klomp.

Stuart Turner has strengthened it sales team with the appointment of Richard Ballard as Area Sales Manager for the South West region.

Richard joined Stuart Turner in 1988 during which time he successfully managed both the Quality & Pump Assist Departments. He therefore brings with him a great deal of product knowledge and a wealth of customer service experience, making him the obvious choice for the role.

The increasingly popular Bathroom Academy has received a major facelift and was re-launched at this month’s ecobuild exhibition.

The Bathroom Academy (www.bathroom-academy.co.uk/) is a unique learning portal for the bathroom industry. It is entirely web based and its modules are used in all sectors of the industry, and at all levels. Beginners find the Academy an incredibly helpful start in understanding the rather tricky jargon surrounding bathroom products and more experienced people use the downloadable guides to keep up with the rapidly changing industry. The latest modules go into some depth about selling skills, installation and company law.

Solarsoft’s Management Information Dashboards provide bathroom distributor with new ability to target promotions, accelerate decision making and drive growth

AWA Bathrooms has gone live with Dashboard technology from Solarsoft to provide the organisation with more accurate and timely management information. The graphic software will provide fresh insights into the business, equipping managers to make better decisions faster.

Leasing Options has selected The Fuelcard People as its strategic fuel cards partner. The agreement will offer its customers nationwide help in reducing and controlling vehicle running costs.

“We were impressed by The Fuelcard People’s attitude which matches our own belief in the importance of personal service,” comments Leasing Options marketing manager Sue Hampson. “Lower fuel costs and reduced administrative workloads are just the start of the benefits available to our customers. Fuel cards should offer more than just discount fuel and The Fuelcard People offers a perfect combination of savings, service and security.”

The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) has issued a Policy Position Statement supporting the use of food waste disposers (FWD) in the management of food waste from domestic kitchens.

In an update to its policy position, the CIWEM has highlighted the fact that in-sink FWDs are an environmentally acceptable option for separating food waste at source and conveying it to treatment and use via existing infrastructures.

PWS has extended its design centre to create a dedicated space for its award-winning Painted Collection. The 100sq metre footprint showcases a mix of modern and traditional designs with substantial displays to replicate real-life working kitchens. The painted palette includes 14 colours from subtle neutrals of linen and suede through to more striking tones of cranberry, damson and charcoal.

A boom in ‘own brands’ typically sourced from the Far East and relocation of manufacturing of traditional British brands to parts of the world where costs can be reduced, creates a challenge in maintaining quality standards, as Gary Hawkins, general manager of Impulse Bathrooms observes.

The KBSA (Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialists Association) has announced that SMART Systems is the latest industry supplier to become a corporate member.

SMART Systems is a market-leading software company dedicated to supplying quality business and operational management systems solely to the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom industry.

Cooker Hood specialist, D R Cooker Hoods (Elica) has appointed Chris Harvey in the role of area manager covering part of the Home Counties, West Midlands and Wales. He will be managing the Elica brand and expanding the dealer network within his area.

Chris brings a wealth of experience to Elica having worked in the kitchen industry for the past 23 years.

Methven has welcomed Simon Woods to the team as sales director for the UK and Europe, taking responsibility for the growth of the Methven and Deva brands across these markets and the management of the respective field and internal sales teams.

Strong growth in the sale of mosaic tiles is forecast for 2011 by leading tile distributor Craven Dunnill, which has increased its selection of stocked ranges to over 300 following exceptional sales in the second half of 2010.

In determining the total cost of any type of wall or floor finish, it is necessary to take into account the expense of cleaning maintenance and renewal. This is more important in commercial specifications but design life costs are a powerful argument for selling ceramic and natural stone tiles in domestic situations.

Leading specialist warranty services group Domestic & General has reached the milestone of five million customers in the UK.

The company’s primary focus is on providing product protection for major domestic appliances, consumer electronic products and central heating systems, offering warranty services for over 150 major UK and international brands.

Roca will be showcasing its comprehensive range of ecologically sound products at Ecobuild 2011.

One of the key designs displayed will be W+W (pictured above) – an all-in-one WC and washbasin designed to maximise space and conserve water. Incorporating Roca’s new ‘water-reuse’ technology, it uses waste water from the basin to fill the WC cistern, thereby reducing water usage by up to 25% compared to a standard 6/3 litre dual-flush WC.

Leading bathroom accessories manufacturer Croydex, has bolstered its sales team in the north of the country with the appointment of Kevin Whitehead to the position of Northern Sales Manager.

Kevin brings a wealth of experience to his role at Croydex, having spent 16 years at Bristan – 12 years as Area Sales Manager for the North West and a further two years as Regional Sales Manager with responsibility for the Northern Sales team. Kevin spent the past two years at Bristan as National Account Manager.

 BSH Home Appliances, current holder of the TEQ award for the best customer service in the UK domestic appliance industry has won another prestigious award for 2010 - for the company’s Starting Off Apprenticeship Scheme for school leavers.

A useful app has been designed exclusively for retailers and designers of über kitchens. It allows the user to view the comprehensive range brochure and immediately obtain complete quotations on all cabinetry and accessories.

The pace of change in the bathroom industry is accelerating and it is becoming increasingly difficult for all those in the supply chain to keep pace with new products entering the market place.

“Change is good,” comments Yvonne Orgill, CEO of the Bathroom Manufacturers Association. “Manufacturers are keen to introduce exciting new and water efficient bathroom products. It maintains interest in the industry and it promotes new business. It is also important in the race for sustainable low carbon products. But keeping abreast of what is going on can be daunting, particularly for retailers and installers.”

I agree to a certain extent with some of Kevin McCloud’s comments in his new book. We live in a society where we not only have freedom of speech but also a free market economy; Kevin can say what he likes and some kitchen manufacturers can charge vast amounts of money based on brand perceptions rather than actual substance - you can’t have it both ways.

Is an Audi better than a VW although they share the same engines, interiors and look very similar? I am sure Kevin appreciates that it’s as much about the brand kudos and experience as it is about the actual quality.

When Habitat was looking to take stock of a range of appliances to accompany its new kitchen furniture offering, Baumatic’s Premium-Line range was the natural choice as the two companies have a shared passion for innovation, functionality and reliability.

Kitchen designers and installers can benefit from a free course being held during February at REHAU’s specialist training Academy on the application and installation of its innovative range of roller shutter systems.

The course aims to inspire designers with what can be achieved using some of REHAU’s more specialist products, and includes both technical and practical information so that they can see how easy it is to integrate products such as the stylish RAUVOLET Vetro Line toughened glass roller shutters into contemporary kitchen design schemes.

Methven is gearing up for a busy start to 2011 with preparations for EcoBuild and ISH where the company will feature working displays and unveil its collection of luxury, designer showers and tapware for the UK and European markets.

At EcoBuild Methven will showcase innovative water and energy saving products with Satinjet twin jet technology which delivers a superior performing shower with just nine litres of water a minute. Visitors to the stand will see the award winning Satinjet Kiri and Tahi collections and the new Satinjet Kaha collection.

EQ Software, the UK’s leading KBB business management software provider has appointed Neil Schofield as Marketing Manager.

Schofield leaves his position at furniture fittings giant Hettich, after a highly successful seven years. He joined in 2004 as Area Sales Manager, North-West, before promotion in 2006 leading to ultimate responsibility for all products, marketing and training in the UK.

2011 is shaping up to be another challenging year for the KBB sector with the prospect of a long, slow recovery looking likely. The benefits provided by membership of an association such as the Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialists Association become extremely valuable during difficult trading conditions as firms strive to maintain a differentiation for their customers and operate efficiently.

As one of the UK’s premier suppliers of lighting and illuminated products for bathrooms HiB’s recently recognised LA accreditation is an important element of confidence for all their customers.

The LA accreditation relates to the area of Low Voltage lighting and other products which is directed by EU (and CE Mark Legislation) compliance practice. It makes HiB a fully competent supplier of modern compliant products.

PWS' Second Nature painted kitchen collection has won House Beautiful Magazine’s prestigious Gold Award for kitchen collection of 2010 (over £10,000).

'It's very special to be recognised by a leading home interiors magazine and a respected panel of judges,” comments Smith, conceptual designer at Second Nature.

The Italian granite, quartz and recycled glass agglomerate surfaces produced exclusively by Granite Transformations have been used for the TV property series Beeny’s Restoration Nightmare – to clad walls and bath surrounds in Rise Hall. Emphasising its versatility as an interior finish, it also features as matching 300mm square floor tiles in all five completed rooms.

The Tile Association represents the whole of the UK wall and floor tile industry under one organisation. Membership of a trade association sets you apart from the cowboys and rogue traders. Membership of The Tile Association brings with it a wide range of membership benefits that offer real financial advantages. Any company whose business is wholly or partly concerned with wall and floor tiles is eligible to join TTA.

Zehnder Group, Europe’s leading manufacturer and supplier of decorative radiators under the Zehnder and Bisque brands, affirms that all its stainless steel products are tested to the European Standard EN 442 and that their published outputs are fully in line with the testing criteria.

The 2011 ISH Exhibition in Frankfurt widely recognised as the pre-eminent Heating and Sanitary exhibition in Europe is fast approaching and Kermi will once again be exhibiting for the 33rd consecutive year.

Pronorm is making its début appearance at the international Living Kitchen exhibition in Cologne which runs from 18-23 January 2011.

Centre-stage will be the company’s distinctive Y Line handle-less kitchen range aimed at the mid to top end of the market. Replacing the Prime Line offer, the collection distinguishes itself with many key design and product features.

The Mereway Group are proud of their continual investment in people and that many staff have been with the company for over 10 years. Mereway Bathrooms are therefore pleased to announce the appointment of Tim Wood as Sales and Marketing Director and Michelle Nokes as Operations Director of Mereway Bathrooms Limited.

The Cambridge Cookery School has opened new premises featuring Franke products including Kubus KBX and Peak PKX sinks, Eiger SilkSteel and Ticino SilkSteel taps. These were supplied through retailer Cambridge Kitchens which custom-built the kitchen for the school.

Recent energy price hikes and the new year increase in VAT have made us all think again about our finances. We are all having to seek out that elusive concept of ‘value for money’ and it will be more common than ever for consumers to shop around, to compare prices and product specifications using the web, and to challenge their first quote.

The KBSA has launched a major recruitment campaign for 2011 based around the theme of how KBSA membership can boost business.

A new recruitment flyer forms the basis of the recruitment programme which will be widely distributed via a number of different channels. This will be supported with an electronic mailing and a new recruitment presentation for when new prospects are followed up.

Mereway’s transport team recently attended a Basic First Aid training course as part of each driver’s personal training programme their ‘certificate of professional competence in HGV driving’.

The aim of the course was to equip drivers with basic first aid knowledge required to assist effectively should they be the first on the scene at an incident, for example a traffic accident or an accident at work.

Enigma Kitchen Solutions has been appointed as the sole UK importer for Eisinger Swiss the premium European brand specialising in all things stainless steel including an exclusive range of premium kitchen sinks and taps, extraordinary design led hoods and extractors, and a bespoke fabrication service where the end product is limited only by the imagination of the client. www.eisingerswiss.com

Danish brassware manufacturer Damixa opens the doors to its spacious new showroom at Croydex’s UK headquarters, displaying the company’s stunning collections of kitchen and bathroom brassware in their own defined areas for maximum impact.

Chris Tate was a valued member of PWS’ customer service team for 10 years until her sudden death in June. Renowned for her exceptionally kind and helpful nature, for the past five years Chris had tirelessly co-ordinated the Operation Christmas Child shoebox appeal to help ensure children in poorer countries had gifts to open on Christmas morning.

Underfloor Heating

The Tile Association undertakes independent technical inspections on tiling problems. During recent inspections involving electrical underfloor heating, they found that not all electrical systems are being bonded to the substrate. The TTA Technical Committee has advised all TTA members to ensure that the electrical heating mat is encapsulated in a levelling layer of either tile adhesive or two part proprietary latex sub floor smoothing compound before tile fixing begins.

Franke’s easy-to-navigate, stylish website helps retailers and customers alike to see the whole offering. The site has been designed so that it is quick to search for products and there is even a section showing which products suit different lifestyles.

Roca is delighted to announce that the hi-tech and multifunctional bathroom mirror, Innova, was a Gold Winner at this year’s Product Innovation Awards.

The Design Awards is an ongoing scheme to promote excellence in design in the home, organised by the publishers of Designer magazine and supported by over 30 leading UK suppliers. The Product Innovation Awards, which are at the heart of the scheme, celebrate and reward products that demonstrate real innovation, and highlight the vital role of manufacturers in driving innovation in design in the home.

The recent Bathroom Conference highlighted over and over again that in order to survive modern businesses have to use customer service as their key differentiator - their USP. Anyone can copy your product offering and anyone can copy your prices but it is the way in which your company deals with its customers which will set you apart.

Westag and Getalit AG will now offer nationwide availability on Carron Phoenix’s complete range of undermount sinks pre-fabricated and supplied in Westag’s solid surface module worktops.

Westag’s Getacore range of 3mm and 10mm solid surfacing offers three different surface finishes and a choice of over 40 pre-fabricated work surface modules for installation on site. Westag can supply any of Carron’s 25 stainless steel, granite and ceramic undermount sink models in combination with any design and any module for ultimate design flexibility direct to site in 10-14 days from order.

Salamander Pumped Shower Systems, the largest UK manufacturer of shower pumps, recently held a day-long seminar on the company’s product range, in Claygate’s new distribution centre in Marden, Kent.

Managers can now compare discount fuel cards from every major brand including BP, Esso, Shell, Texaco, Total, Diesel Direct and UK Fuels with the launch of The Fuelcard Expert comparison site.

The comprehensive range of major brands compared by The Fuelcard Expert includes fuel cards which are also accepted by such networks as Jet, Gulf, Murco and Moto - as well as Morrisons and Somerfield supermarkets. The site ensures that any user can quickly and easily compare every major UK discount fuel card, matching the features and benefits of each one against their own specific circumstances.

The moisture-resistant properties of Hydropanel fibre cement boards from Marley Eternit have enabled clay tiles, chlorine-resistant paint and an intricate mosaic freeze for a swimming pool to be applied directly to the boards on Project 5 Architects’ latest undertaking.

Metris dealer Earle & Ginger of Manchester scooped the award for Best Kitchen Retailer at the recent Northern Design Awards. The award was judged on quality of product offering, together with exceptional customer service.

The Salice Group and Bortoluzzi Sistemi have formed a strategic partnership to achieve significant commercial and production synergies. This agreement was formalised on 12 October 2010 with the acquisition by the Salice Group of 40% of the capital of Bortoluzzi Sistemi.

The Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialists Association (KBSA) has welcomed two of the best known luxury appliance brands Sub-Zero and Wolf to the association, as Westye Group becomes the latest company to join as a corporate member.

Despite continued signs that the UK economy is in the doldrums, one new UK bathroom design company, Stonearth, has bucked the trend, to show not only strong growth at home, but even expansion into the wider European market.

Salamander Pumped Shower Systems Ltd., the country’s largest supplier of shower pumps and a leader in pump design, recently honoured Quality Manager Peter Frost for 25 years service with the company. Peter joined Salamander as an electrical apprentice aged just seventeen when the company consisted of only four employees.

Retailers have always had a few clients who are putting in insurance claims or repairing their homes once a claim is accepted but this is certainly on the increase. The majority of cases are flood, fire or break-ins with flooding the fastest growing and on the minds of many clients who will never actually be affected by it. In all three cases tiled walls and floors can help minimise the impact.

Unveiling its newly branded 45ft vehicles, Profile Showers, one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of shower enclosures, has expanded its fleet and strengthened the brand message with eye catching livery to further promote Profile Showers. “With such distinctive livery it will certainly get noticed and drive customers to your showroom via the Profile Showers website” commented Dale Bacon, Commercial Manager.

Roca has launched the We Are Water Foundation in 20 places around the world including The Covent Garden Hotel, London.

The Foundation has been set up with the objective of mitigating the negative effects associated with the lack of adequate water resources, raising overall awareness and motivating people to donate funds to be used in the implementation of cooperation projects.

Bathing and sanitation is integral to our well-being. It is part of our lives and ensures that our cleanliness and health are maintained. Its only when things go wrong that we realise how much we depend on it.

One of Blum UK’s largest distributors, LDL, hosted a 3-day open house event at the Blum UK headquarters in Milton Keynes to show visitors their full product portfolio including the extensive range of solutions from Blum

ISH, the world’s leading trade fair for Innovative Bathroom Design, Energy Efficient Heating, Air-Conditioning Technology and Renewable Energies

brings together two trade fairs under one roof: Energy Building and Air-conditioning Technology and the Bathroom Experience.

PWS has unveiled a dedicated showroom for Metris at its inspirational Design Centre to coincide with the launch of the two new signature themes Contour and Crescent Curves.

Eight large kitchen room sets depict each of the Metris design themes. With a split-level layout the space has a light and airy ambience that links seamlessly from one kitchen to another. There is also a large meeting area within the showroom for client presentations and dealer meetings.

CAD software supplier 20-20 Technologies Limited has merged its two principal UK subsidiaries into a single, more efficient legal entity to improve delivery of a complete and consistent service to all customers.

This is the final stage in a three-year process which began when its parent company 20-20 Technologies Inc. acquired the business of Planit International in February 2008.

CME Sanitary Systems has reported a huge increase in demand for its Crescent Junior ‘J’ and Mini seats from its Celmac special needs and education collection.

Designed to fit standard 12”/300mm school WC pans, the Crescent Junior ‘J’ has a gap front that restricts the build up of bacteria in frequently used installations. Seats are available in three colours with a choice of stainless steel or colour matched plastic hinges.

Several top end design led CDA appliances will be on display in 30 Comet stores this autumn. Other models will be available from the electrical giant at www.comet.co.uk.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for both Comet and CDA,” says CDA’s MD Ian Kershaw. “Comet have been looking to boost their appliance offering with eye-catching and innovative products, and CDA were chosen as this is what we do best.

One of South Wales’ largest distributors of kitchen products to the trade A.C. Distribution has appointed Reginox as its preferred supplier of sinks and taps. The company will offer the full Reginox portfolio to its established customer base of retailers, merchants and developers across South Wales and the South West of England.

AGA Rayburn has opened the doors to its first Home Energy Management Centre in Kidderminster showcasing its range of renewable energy products, woodburning stoves and ultra‐efficient Rayburn A‐rated central heating range cookers.

The insurance companies that provide the ConsumerCare (CC) and ConsumerCare plus (CCP) insurance products to the Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialists Association (KBSA) have reviewed their offer in light of market conditions and a new policy has now been issued to all members. The new insurance is now provided by single insurer QANW (a trading name of Warranty Services Ltd).

Deva, one of the UK’s leading shower and tapware companies, today announces the appointment of Steve Lee as company chief executive officer (CEO) with effect from 1 November 2010; and, a company name change to Methven UK from mid-December.

For the third consecutive year 20-20 Fusion will be showcasing its market-leading CAD software as it takes to the road for BCGXL’s Big Tour 2010 this autumn.

Kitchen and bathroom designers throughout the country will have the chance to see what the software has to offer including superior graphics, first-class presentation quality, realistic plan, elevation and perspective views - and a host of features to help maximise sales opportunities.

Andy Ellis is the new area sales manager for the Yorkshire and North Eastern Area of England for Ideal Bathrooms.

Having worked in bathroom related industries for 21 years for well known brands including Twyfords and Bristan and covering the same geographical area, Andy has already established good working relationships with the retail customers.

We are looking for the most innovative domestic tiling project. At the 2010 Awards BKU Update sponsored the award for Best use of tile in a domestic environment and the winner was a private house in Mapperley near Nottingham supplied by East Midlands Ceramics.

This year we have precluded housing developers from the awards as they have their own. The 2011 award will be for the Best use of tile in a private house.

The Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialists Association has presented the inaugural KBSA supplier awards at the 2010 kbbr Kitchen Conference. The awards recognise excellence in those companies that supply products to KBSA retailers and are the first awards of their kind that represent the views of retailers and not a panel of judges.

For the second year running, BSH Customer Service has won the coveted Total Excellence and Quality (TEQ) customer service award for its Bosch, Siemens, Gaggenau and Neff home appliance brands, beating its own record score of 94.5% achieved when winning the award in 2009.

Profile Showers has strengthened its sales team further with the appointment of two key Area Sales Managers; Joanne Emslie and Linda Jenkinson. Joanne joins the team from Aqualux and will be responsible for the North West region. Linda joins the company bringing with her extensive experience in the building and merchant sectors, Shires and Ideal Standard. Linda will be responsible for the North East and Yorkshire.

Minimalism in the bathroom is just one of the current trends and it can be seen nowhere better than in the most recent designs of shower trays and enclosures.

Several manufacturers, members of the BMA, now have very-low-height trays in their portfolios.

These have been designed to give the ‘feel’ of a wet room without the requirement for the installation of tanking systems and below-floor waste channels. The latest products have the minimal profile of just 40mm and to quickly clear the waste water the so called ‘vortex waste’ literally sucks water out of the tray and through the trap, so the tray doesn't flood even with the most powerful shower.

Comparing fuel card suppliers could not be simpler, according to The Fuelcard People. You just need to ask two basic questions:

Can you offer me a discount on pump prices? You should be offered a discount of 3p to 4p per litre compared with national average pump prices.

PWS has developed an online work surface estimator allowing retailers to quickly and efficiently produce a guide-price for a design.

Due to the number of features that can be included in the work surface such as drainer grooves, inset scales and distinctive profiles - every project is individual and the estimator has the scope to select from a wide range of design options. Templates can be created so basic details can be recalled and then adapted to suit a new specification.

The 2011 TTA Awards are now open for nominations. There are 21 categories and you can download the entry form and rules from the TTA website, www.tiles.org.uk, in the 2011 Awards section.

Knauf Aquapanel Interior is being used extensively as part of a multi-million-pound refurbishment of the five-star Sheraton Grand Hotel and Spa nestling in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle.

The market-leading glass fibre reinforced cement tile backer board is being used to line the walls of 269 luxury bathrooms where its immense strength will ensure that heavy opulent mosaic tiling stays firmly in place.

For the second year running Geberit is taking part in the BCG Big Tour during November. Alongside its product ranges, the company will showcase its sanitary point of sale display options that enable retailers to best exhibit them in their showroom.

Products include its flush plate display board, Duofix POS module and bath traps in Perspex which all enable consumers to see at a glance all of the design options that are available.

KBSA corporate member Cosentino Group has added three of its popular brands ‘Silestone’, ‘ECO’ and ‘Sensa’ as Kitchen, Bathroom, Bedroom Specialists Association (KBSA) brand members.

Leading CAD software developer for the kitchen and bathroom industries 20-20 Fusion will be running a series of free seminars for its supported customers during November to ensure they are getting the most out of their Fusion software.

The Federal Republic of Germany has nominated the latest “Clip top Blumotion” hinge for its 2011 design award.

Ultra Tile adhesives , both cementitious and ready mixed, have been used to fix a variety of tiles within the new Inspired Design showroom. Situated in Oldbury, the showroom has over 60 different kitchen and bathroom pods for viewing.

Moores Furniture Group received a glowing report in its latest Environmental Management System (EMS) assessment, reaffirming the company’s long-held commitment to adopting the highest environmental standards throughout its business.

How does anyone, embarking on the installation of a new bathroom, find details of the most water and energy efficient products on offer?

On Thursday 8th July, Kaldewei held an Open Day to officially mark the launch of its new UK headquarters in St. Ives, Cambridgeshire.

Waterline’s former logistics director Andrew Lillywhite has joined BCG as commercial and operations director. He will be responsible for the commercial, operations and customer service departments including more than 50 members of staff.

Keen-eyed viewers of the current series of Channel 4’s Big Brother will have spotted two distinctive wall coverings in the bathroom. One is a custom-made floral wallpaper depicting scenes from previous shows, the other consists of thousands of tiny glass mosaic tiles (tesserae). This innovative wall covering forms part of the Trend Wallpaper collection designed to create outstanding feature walls with tactile appeal.

Geberit has opened a new logistics centre to ensure it can continue to respond with speed and efficiency as the number of orders the manufacturer receives continues to grow.

Slip resistance has long been a contentious topic in the flooring industry. It is, perhaps, less important in a domestic setting than in commercial contracts where there is less risk of litigation but it still needs to be taken into account particularly where any floor is likely to get wet.

Kevin Galer has recently been appointed Financial Accountant for the Mereway Kitchens.

Towel warmers from the Essential range have been flying off the shelves at Ideal Bathrooms with retailers ordering in larger quantities as they know they can be certain of selling these high quality products for an unbeatable price.

Building on the successful launch last year of the industry’s first surface materials e-commerce site with its Webstore, IDS has upgraded it to be even slicker in functionality and looks.

Companies can check whether they have the best possible deal on refuelling with an Instant Fuel Card Audit - a new free service from The Fuelcard People.

PROFILE SHOWERS, one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of shower enclosures, has launched its new state of the art shower enclosures website:

www.profileshowers.co.uk

PWS’ Avant Black range was selected for an award-winning show garden at the Chelsea Flower Show. Instead of worktops, lilies and orchids were planted on top of the base units.

The concept of the Wet Room has seen a steady growth in popularity and is having a major impact on bathroom layout and design.

Congratulations to a group of Mereway staff who recently completed a walk for charity. Jo Brown, Sales Co-Ordinator for Mereway Kitchens organised a ‘Crocus Walk’ of 7 miles for Breakthrough for Breast Cancer, whose work gives hope to the 46,000 women who are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK.

Marcrist International has launched the diamond CC750 tile blade, designed for cutting curves in even the hardest ceramic and porcelain tiles.

Caroline Hardman, Northern Regional Sales Manager at Franke UK Ltd, recently took part in The Great Manchester charity run to raise money for The Christies Cancer Care charity; and successfully raised £525!

A visit to this year’s KBB show paid off for Kerry Hopkins from Maddisons Bathroom and Wetroom Specialists in York as her name was drawn from more than 800 entries as the winner of a new car in a competition to celebrate the recent alliance between Croydex and Damixa.

REHAU hosted its fourth Lightweight Network seminar at the end of June in conjunction with Hettich, Egger and Homag.

Companies can achieve significant administration savings by using a fuel card from The Fuelcard People. Regardless of which card they choose from the wide range offered, a single weekly invoice will cover all refuelling, with payment by direct debit.

Corporate membership of the KBSA is proving to be a recession beating benefit according to several corporate members who have voiced their support and urged other organisations to take up membership.

Mereway Kitchens has appointed Mark Keogh to the full time position of Technical Author. This is a new position within the company and Mark has joined the Mereway commercial team to provide the very best in technical data and literature for their customers.

The big yellow retail price book from Ideal Bathrooms has undergone some significant improvements to make the latest issue even easier to use while containing an ever increasing product offering.

In the wall and floor tile industry natural stone is one of the fastest growing markets. For The Tile Association Awards 2010 an unprecedented number of nominations were received in this category. There are specialist retailers of natural stone, marble, granite, limestone and slate but in today’s market every TTA member distributor and retailer offers a sizeable and varied range.

MHS Radiators has supplied 544 of its chrome and white electric-only Space towel rails to Strata SE1, London’s tallest residential tower. Nicknamed ‘The Razor’, the 148 metre high 43-storey building has three 19kW wind turbines integrated within the building’s façade and expected to generate up to 50 MWh of electricity annually.

Amica has announced the expansion of its UK operation with the appointment of national accounts manager Peter Sherwood-Clarke.

PWS CEO Mark Stephenson and son Oli joined Sir Ian Botham in April for his 25th anniversary walk in support of leukaemia and lymphoma research - 15 miles daily for 10 consecutive days through 10 towns.

Hot on the heels of its successful relaunch at KBB2010, Bushboard has updated the POS material for its Prima range. A new 28-page brochure showcases the whole collection including new True Scale and Radiance designs. Lifestyle photography, product information and technical details provide a useful selling tool for retailers.

Ideal Bathrooms prides itself on providing a first class customer service and even during the current economic decline this has remained the company’s top priority. Additional sales staff have been appointed while the number of vehicles in its fleet operating from four distribution centres has been increased along with the amount of delivery routes.

Robert Lee has announced an exciting partnership with Emco – a company at the forefront of European accessory design for many decades, bringing new and innovative ideas for the bathroom from conception to reality.

All bathroom companies, no matter where they sit in the supply chain, are always looking to see how they can improve sales and margins. Most will tell you that good customer service is essential in ensuring that customers remain loyal. They will also say that keeping a good customer is a lot easier than attracting a new one. If customers feel valued, they are more likely to recommend you to others, and business growth results.

Intervari has selected PWS’ premium Metris® collection for its flagship London showroom. With three stunning displays gracing the entrance and first level, Intervari has combined an appealing mix of materials, finishes and shape which successfully demonstrate the sheer diversity of Metris®.

The website for the Showerwall, the waterproof wallpanelling system, has been updated to be more user-friendly and information-rich. The update coincides with the release of the new Showerwall collection from April 1st with 7 new laminate design additions reflecting the trend for neutral tones and stone-inspired effects.

Long standing KBSA corporate member Aga Rangemaster has added two of its most popular brands as Kitchen, Bathroom, Bedroom Specialist Association brand members.

Reginox is strengthening its team with two appointments that will open up additional opportunities for the company within both its existing and new target markets for its sinks, taps and accessories.

Symbolising the savings that can be achieved by use of water-saving products such as Cistermiser’s Sensazone which was launched at Ecobuild, the company ran a competition inviting visitors to identify buckets of money (‘gold’ coins filled with chocolate).

With its commitment to offering nationwide availability on its extensive product portfolio of laminates, solid surface, panel products, work surfaces and flooring, IDS has opened its 16th distribution branch to service customers in Devon and Cornwall.

Marley Eternit is encouraging installers to consider the benefits of using fibre cement tile backing boards such as the company’s Hydropanel product because of its excellent water resistant properties.

D&AD Annual Inclusion

The first is the achievement of the “in-book” status at the D&AD (Design & Art Direction) Awards 2010. This means that the GROHE Rainshower^® Next Generation showers will appear in the latest edition of the renowned D&AD Annual. To achieve this, at least 50 percent of the international jury must have voted in favour of the products being included in the Yearbook based on criteria such as originality and inspiration, good execution and, last but not least, relevance. 

Ceramic Tile Distributors (CTD) has completely refurbished the flagship showroom at its Newcastle headquarters, including the laying of more than 400 m2 of beige Gemini Young Stone tiles. Every one of the 1,200 glazed porcelain, 600 mm x 600 mm floor tiles was fixed using BAL Supercover Rapidset adhesive with BAL Admix AD1 and finished with BAL Microcolour grout.

The Contempora concept from Aster moves kitchens away from a purely functional space into a highly aesthetic environment, transforming practical units into beautiful items of furniture. The concept is based on a moving design where the kitchen can be totally hidden from view within sliding or closing furniture. This provides flexibility of space so that a living, cooking, dining area can be transformed according to specific requirements.

Ellis Furniture – a leading manufacturer of kitchen, bathroom and bedroom furniture – is sending one lucky couple on an African adventure for their honeymoon as part of a unique competition worth £2,500 to name a new door for the company’s bathroom furniture range.

Ellis Furniture joined forces with its retail customers across the country in the hunt for a new door name and after sifting through scores of entries the judges finally decided on a suggestion from William Wilson customer Graham Marshall.

The KBSA (Kitchen, Bathroom, Bedroom Specialists Association) has invested in improvements to the website to make it more user friendly and announced that it will be adding two consumer shows to those already in the programme.

The Fuelcard People are warning contractors to beware of misleading claims from fuel card companies trying to push their products:

Fusion software from 20-20 Fusion has been selected to be used exclusively in showrooms across the Travis Perkins Group of builder’ merchants with more than 600 branches nationwide, supplying over 100,000 product lines to trade professionals.

Recent trade exhibitions have been very successful for the Bathrooms Manufacturers Association. Yvonne Orgill, its chief executive, explains why.

MHS Radiators has supplied more than 80 of its Decoral 10 radiators, 34 Space towel rails, 19 Arturo designer radiators and a Mistral radiator to Golden Hill Fort near Freshwater, Isle of White which has been transformed into 18 individual luxury homes.

Burbidge has opened its doors to a refitted Coventry-based showroom, allowing customers to experience the craftsmanship and innovation behind its new designs.

Whatever the scale of the project, Geberit has the sanitaryware solution to match. Its superior products have been specified for two prestigious buildings in the desert city of Dubai.

Burlington is changing the structure of its UK sales team to focus on achieving increased market penetration for its natural stone products.

The Metris Wave Curve® from PWS has won the prestigious 2010 Grand Designs best kitchen award. The fantastic news was revealed at the glittering awards ceremony during the Grand Designs exhibition, where Kevin McCloud presented the coveted accolade in the form of a striking metallic trophy. The best kitchen category included both modular and bespoke design entries. The appeal of the Wave Curve® is that it achieves what historically has been a bespoke product, but is in fact ingeniously created from a modular 1200mm curved system. This ensures Wave Curve® carries an unexpected level of versatility and is surprisingly affordable. The system has also achieved registered design status.

After almost 15 years of continued service, Len Ball has announced that he will be taking early retirement from Mereway Kitchens.

Gx Glass was commissioned by Design Republic to supply doors and wall cladding for Cascades Tower - an upmarket residential development near London’s Canary Wharf.

Its a new era in politics. That’s what they are now telling us. But in the bathroom industry, leaders and industrialists are contemplating the outcome of the general election with some trepidation. They are studying the politician’s promises of a new consensus in government. Will this new era and new approach help our industry or hinder it? Will the market expand or contract? It remains to be seen.

 Already 2010 has been an interesting year for bathroom design and as you start to think, ‘surely it’s all been done’, the market pleasantly surprises you. Consumers continue to demand the highest levels of sophistication at competitive price points, ensuring a healthy challenge for bathroom manufacturers nationwide.

Quad Uno

Quad Uno

Quad Uno

Quad Uno

BCG, the leading kitchen, bathroom & heating distributor is doing it all over again!

“How could we not?” said Chris Honer, BCG’s Managing Director. “2009 saw the industry go through turbulent times, and we watched almost every one of our competitors cut costs and spending. We took a tough decision not to, and I believe we played the ace card. Our decision to go ahead with Big Tour 3, coupled with the tremendous advertising and editorial campaign we ran, saw BCG’s profile within the industry rocket. We attracted a record number of customers through the doors of Big Tour 3, and the support and enthusiasm for both the tour and the launch of our Airmiles incentive scheme was phenomenal.

In order to match current and future customer needs, the Franke Kitchen Systems Group has reviewed its manufacturing strategy and has decided that Carron Phoenix Ltd. will fully focus on the production of composite products.

Stainless steel sink production will be re-located to other European manufacturing plants within the Group as part of the re-organisation. The re-organisation affects less than 20 staff who will all be offered the opportunity to redeploy within the composite sink production facility and no redundancies are anticipated.

Bristan Group has bid a fond farewell to Steve Lee who, after 19 years with the company, has stepped down as chairman.

Steve joined Bristan in 1991 and was instrumental in growing the business after leading a management buy out in 1997.

Under his direction, Bristan grew from a small business with eight people to a multi-million pound success which attracted the interest of Masco, the US global home products group.  Steve sold the business to Masco in 2002 but stayed on as CEO, steering Bristan through a merger with other Masco-owned brands including Heritage and Gummers to create the Bristan Group.  He became chairman in 2008.

Contractors have been warned to beware of false claims from fuel card companies trying to push their products. Steve Clarke, general manager of The Fuelcard People, said: “Our customers tell us that some suppliers make very odd claims when trying to push their products. It seems that the fewer fuel cards in a supplier’s range, the wilder their claims become. They can sound very plausible, so contractors should be aware of what to look for, and why the claims are false.”

As the longstanding cabinet manufacturer for Matchmaker Kitchens, Tipton based Take Two Kitchens has taken over the brand, making the range available on a direct basis for its customers.

Take Two is keen to ensure continuity of the brand for its valued customers, and will be working closely with the frontal manufacturers to seamlessly continue producing the high quality rigid cabinets and comprehensive selection of frontals that comprise the range and make it so popular.

In 2009 VOLA launched three new products. Two of these products, the new VOLA towel warmer, T39 and the new VOLA free-standing shower, FS3 won the 2009 GOOD DESIGN Award presented by The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design and

The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

As the managing director of one of the UK’s leading kitchen manufacturers, Ben Burbidge is used to going the extra mile in order to stay off competitors and remain at the forefront of the industry. Next March, however, he will face a challenge of a different kind as he prepares to take part in the Dallaglio Cycle Slam.

Crosswater took part in the recent "Wear it Pink" day, part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and raised £350!

The team, based at Crosswater's headquarters in Dartford, Kent, wore pink to support the charity; some members of the team really got into the spirit of the day by dressing up in pink cowboy hats and Fame-inspired leg warmers!  

Coventry based bathroom manufacturer Showerlux UK has pledged its support to Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) by sponsoring a charity clay pigeon shoot and black tie fundraising dinner.

The charity event, held recently in Northamptonshire, had an ambitious target of raising £10,000, however, due to generous support from local companies such as Showerlux UK the event raised a staggering £11,250 for the WNNA.

Fired Earth, one of the UK's leading premier kitchens, bathrooms and interior design brands, has launched a new and exclusive website for trade customers. Giving access to exclusive trade-only deals, as well as technical help guides and newsletters and a prestige project section, the website can be reached at http://trade.firedearth.com.

System Six Kitchens based in Exeter jumped at the chance to join a Devon charity fund-raising campaign spearheaded by Deborah Meadon of the Dragon's Den TV programme, called The Dragon's Challenge.  

GROHE is delighted to announce that its Partner Club initiative has been a huge success with showrooms, receiving an overwhelmingly positive response. The GROHE Partner Club (GPC) was launched in early 2009 and continues to gain momentum.  It is a cash incentive scheme designed to support and reward GROHE'S most dedicated and knowledgeable showrooms. 

James Theobald's, the Maidstone based Kitchen and Bathroom Distributor has had one of its Kitchens chosen for the hugely popular UKTV makeover series ‘Love The Place Your In'.

The programme, hosted by top interior designer Gordon Whistance, shows homeowners how to get creative in their own homes by turning their existing home into the havens and sanctuaries they had always dreamed of.

BA Components, the leading bespoke frontal supplier and manufacturer of the Bella Kitchen & Bedroom Collections, have announced a complete upgrade of their On-Line BA Live service.

Always committed to supporting its dealer network and promoting their brands, BA Components have improved, updated and streamlined the very successful and popular BA Live interactive on-line facility. Now with improved access and the facility to see the comprehensive BA product range in full colour, BA Live is even more user friendly than before.

Euroline Sales & Marketing, the sole UK specialist importer for the premium Italian kitchen brands Barazza, Bertazzoni, La Germania by Bertazzoni and Falmec, is pleased to announce the appointment of Holly Smart as Communications and PR Manager. This newly created position forms part of Euroline's growth strategy and will allow the company to further enhance its brand positioning and support already rising sales.

This month Leaker Direct are about to launch their New Product Guide August 2009 and are pleased to announce that Franke sinks and taps will be added to their portfolio. Franke have secured their position as market leaders in their industry by providing kitchen specialists with a world-class range of sinks, taps and accessories. Leaker Direct are concentrating on giving kitchen specialists a high quality service and will stock the complete Franke range to give customers swift lead times.

In response to increasing consumer concern about hygiene in the home, Evo-Stik has launched anti-germ, a unique range of tiling solutions and sealants that kills bacteria and stops mould and fungi growth.

Hobsons Choice, Swindon's premier retailer of contemporary interiors, played host to a customer open evening to reveal a re-designed, innovative showroom featuring bulthaup's state-of-the-art kitchen systems. Also on show are inspiring bathroom displays featuring products from suppliers such as Villeroy & Boch, Duravit, Dornbracht and Hansgrohe.