We start this year feeling optimistic with house prices continuing to slowly rise in the last six consecutive months and there are signs of market improvements which everyone in the bathroom business is eagerly looking forward to. During 2009 one very apparent effect of the credit crunch has been that retailers and merchants have reduced stockholding to the bare minimum to save on outgoings and improve cashflow.

To date over 1000 showrooms in the UK have chosen to sell bathrooms from the highly successful brochure concept ‘Create Your Ideal Bathroom’.

From January, Ideal Bathrooms launches the next stage in the initiative - a new website www.createyouridealbathroom.com. Here consumers will be able to flick through the brochure to help with choosing a new bathroom.

Over 40 top bathroom brands are stocked in depth at Ideal Bathrooms and there are 160 employees dedicated to making sure they get the order delivered to the retailer on time and complete.

A new year is upon us and when it comes to commitment to Excellence through Service and Availability BCG, the No. 1 name for kitchens, bathrooms and heating, is really going places.

With a host of new customer benefits including the Airmiles loyalty programme and a state-of-the-art automated phone stock enquiry service plus a commitment to maintaining over £10 million of stock and a bigger and better Big Tour, BCG is helping customers to get 2010 off to a flying start.

AWA are starting 2010 with a splash bringing a new look and feel to the company image and a number of new products to the market. A new web site will also be launched early in 2010 offering many features and benefits online to our customers. Look out for awabathroomstoday.co.uk it will be launching soon with some fantastic online offers!

Hill’s Panel Products (HPP) has been distributing to the fitted furniture industry since 1991 and it’s fair to say their range of products and services has grown considerably since then. What started out as just supplying chipboard to the North West has now become supplying a comprehensive range of board, furniture doors and furniture fittings across the whole of the UK.

It is no secret that the current trading environment is proving to be extremely difficult for many retailers and the luxury bathroom and kitchen markets are certainly feeling the pinch. There seems to be news of companies closing on a daily basis, but one company in rural Somerset is bucking the trend.

The first handle-free fascia available in the UK in a vinyl-wrapped kitchen range is Bellissimo’s 26 gloss and 20 matt colour and woodgrain options which can be made in bespoke sizes; woodgrains can also be specified in vertical or horizontal format.

The modern distributor for the kitchen industry needs to cover all bases and tick all boxes says Alan Sheldon, MD of DK Distribution.

The latest division of DK Distribution, DK Components is now supplying the UK and Ireland with the ultimate carcase service.

The new Eurostyle Designer Gloss Furniture range is the latest addition to distributor, PJH Group's growing Moods Bathroom Collection. It is available in dark walnut gloss, light walnut gloss and white gloss.

In keeping with their key brands philosophy, Ideal Bathrooms is delighted to confirm that Roca and Shades have been incorporated into its stock portfolio and are now available throughout the UK for all Ideal Bathrooms customers.

HPP have launched a brand new range of PVC edged doors all available next day nationwide direct from stock. The collection includes ten decors which are comprised of seven woodgrains and three high gloss finishes. Each range includes 41 components incorporating the most popular kitchen door/drawer sizes and accessories such as end panels, plinth, cornice and pelmet.

BCG's Big Tour 3 is fast approaching and as the only exhibition of its kind this year to hit 5 major venues across the UK, it's set to be the industry's most prestigious event so far. Show casing over 40 of the leading manufacturers within this sector, Big Tour 3 is the ONLY place in 2009 where merchants and retailers can, not only, meet face to face with existing suppliers and discover new and innovative products, but also get the chance to learn more about new manufacturers, take part in product demonstrations and discover the latest product ranges and new releases.

2009 is a special year for leading distributor and granite manufacturer PWS. Marking 100 years in business PWS is celebrating its legacy of innovation and achievement and at the same time looking forward to defining the company's development in the future. 2009 also signifies the first anniversary of PWS' new granite factory and Metris®, the company's most dynamic product launch.

KA Distribution has become the UK distributor of the iconic Steam Valve Original range of solid stainless steel kitchen taps from Hornbeam Ivy.

Blackheath Products boasts one of the UK's most comprehensive collections of laminate, solid surfacing and solid wood worksurfaces from one central location. And not just any worktops, they pride themselves on offering distinctive and recognizable brands such as Axiom, Duropal, Egger, Encore, Heartwood, Nuance, Prima and Tradeline.

With seventeen carriages in total, this is the longest freight train to arrive into IDS's railhead at Gilbraith, near Blackburn, and is carrying a 1000 tonnes of decorative panel products from one of its suppliers in Switzerland.

The new Vetreo Acrylic door brand, manufactured exclusively by NESP Ltd, is taking the UK door market by storm. The new high gloss acrylic faced, made to measure doors are now available in UK and offer the overall look of a solid acrylic door but without many of the draw backs, including the often high price tag.

Leaker Direct provide a one-stop shopping package to kitchen specialists throughout the UK. Established 10 years ago, Leaker Direct operate from a 60,000 sq ft warehousing complex with a £2 million stock holding which includes:

• Flooring from Karndean n Built-In Appliances from Kompact, New World, Belling, Fagor, Bosch, Neff, Stoves, Siemens, De Dietrich and Kitchen Aid
• Range cooking from Rangemaster and Falcon
• American refrigeration from Samsung, Maytag, GE and Amana n Sinks from Franke, Leisure and Teka n Taps from Franke, Hansgrohe and Rudge.

Häfele UK Limited, one of the largest furniture fittings and architectural ironmongery distribution centres in the UK, have just released their new Kitchen Solutions catalogue packed with over 300 new products to provide the very latest innovative ideas for any kitchen project.