February 23, 2012

Ellis Furniture research finds bright future for bathroom furniture


Ellis Furniture believes the future for bathroom furniture is bright after research conducted at the end of 2010 among more than 7,000 consumers revealed that most of those polled did not have bathroom furniture but would like to have it.

As part of the research consumers were asked how important bathroom furniture is to them. 35.6% said they could not live without it, 60.9% said they would love to have it and just 3.4% said bathroom furniture was not important to them.

Ellis Furniture sales and marketing director Peter Elson comments: “These results show there is great potential for bathroom furniture in the future. We believe that as more people stay put and improve rather than move, the 60.9% of those surveyed who currently do not have bathroom furniture will turn to it to make their homes more desirable and their lives more comfortable.

“We also believe that developers should bear this in mind. We believe that houses with bathroom furniture are at a distinct advantage over ones without. There is clearly an appetite for bathroom furniture.

“People want their bathrooms to be their personal sanctuaries. A haven of relaxation must be tidy and uncluttered. Bathroom furniture can turn a good bathroom into the perfect bathroom, en-suite or cloakroom. The obvious benefits of bathroom furniture are the invaluable storage for products we tend to accumulate, plus the opportunity to maximise space in the smallest rooms of the home. There are also cost benefits. Using furniture can reduce cost of other materials such as tiles. Time and money can be saved on labour for boxing in pipes, for example, which are also unsightly.  “Bathroom furniture not only creates a more desirable bathroom but provides a commercially viable home improvement opportunity, especially when the manufacturer produces all components, as we do, thereby making installation quick and easy.”

Ellis Furniture welcomes new marketing manager


Ellis Furniture has welcomed Richard Fitzmaurice to the team as marketing manager. Taking responsibility for the marketing of the Ellis Furniture brand across domestic and commercial markets, Richard started his new position January 2011.

With a solid KBB industry background, Richard joins Ellis Furniture from Carleton Furniture Group where he was the education division manager and also Moores Furniture Group where he was marketing manager.

At Ellis Furniture Richard is responsible for marketing strategy and intelligence, new product development, multi channel communications, and launching a new website, amongst other things.

In welcoming Richard to the company, Ellis Furniture sales and marketing director Peter Elson says: “Richard is exactly what we need here at Ellis Furniture and he joins us at a very exciting time in our long history. He shares our passion for designing and manufacturing high quality bathroom, bedroom and kitchen furniture and his contribution to the business will be invaluable.”

Commenting on his appointment, Richard adds: “I am delighted to be a part of Ellis Furniture. The company has a great outlook and culture, stunning products and bags of potential. We may have been around for 120 years but we are only just getting started. There is plenty more from us to come and I am very excited about driving the brand forward.”

V-Zug UK join Johnny Grey for Decorex

Swiss appliance company to partner kitchen design expert.

V-ZUG has confirmed a partnership with Johnny Grey Studios in creating a concept kitchen at Decorex 2010, 26th-29th Sept 2010 at Royal Hospital Chelsea.

The event will be used to showcase Johnny’s new concept of the Modern Cottage Kitchen and incorporate appliances from the V-ZUG Futureline collection.

“Johnny has been at the forefront of innovation in UK kitchen design for many years, always driving new ideas and positive change within the industry”, said Kevin John, sales and marketing director of V-ZUG UK.

“We are delighted to have this opportunity to work with Johnny at an exhibition that is now a focal point for the design industry.”

On Monday 27 September at 4.00pm, Johnny Grey will be presenting a seminar on the post-culinary kitchen that looks in detail at how the kitchen has evolved into a multi-use space.

To register for a ticket to Decorex please call 0844 557 2306 or visit www.decorex.com.

Ezystone joins impressive iKBBI sponsor line-up

Joining industry businesses AnyJunk, Blum, Classic Marble and Franke, The iKBBI have announced that Ezystone Worksurfaces as their latest sponsor.

Ezystone specialise in providing high quality kitchen worksurfaces to retailers and installers and are the latest business to support the aims and objectives of the iKBBI.

Ezystone spokesman Gordon Gunnion said: “ Ezystone is a new premium quartz worktop specifically designed for the kitchen installer to fit as part of a normal kitchen installation.

We believe Ezystone will appeal to iKBBI members by offering a convenient, time and cost saving way of fitting visually stunning stone worksurfaces.

“Ezystone enables the kitchen installer to take full control over the worksurface installation with no need to pay for or wait for a stone specialist to be on site. There is no need for templating, 7‐14 day turnaround, temporary sinks or worktops , or return visits”. [Read more...]

Ellis Furniture sends lucky customer on African adventure

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. [Read more...]

De Dietrich celebrates appliance partnership with new Cheshire Cookery School

De Dietrich celebrates appliance partnership with new Cheshire Cookery School

As part of an ongoing campaign to work as an appliance partner with centres of cooking excellence, De Dietrich Kitchen Appliances has teamed up with the newly established Cheshire Cookery School in Altrincham. In order to celebrate its opening, a VIP launch event was held on 10th June 2010 with over 230 guests.

The Cheshire Cookery School is the brainchild of founder, Andrew Warnes and while a separate venture, is situated adjacent to The Altrincham Kitchen Centre and COD Electrical Showroom. The highly respected kitchens and electrical business, owned by the Warnes family, is one of the largest suppliers of high specification kitchens and appliances in the North-West. [Read more...]

New Chairman of The Tile Association

The new Chairman of The Tile Association is Ian Crowther Trade Sales and Marketing Director of Johnson Tiles. Ian has over thirty years experience in the building materials industry and he will serve for two years. He was a founding board member of The Tile Association.

Ian’s focus will be the association’s members, training and the promotion of excellence in the industry as a whole.

“All members, whether large or small, should benefit positively from their membership. The Industry needs a strong and active trade association to support the wider use of tiles not simply to gain more sales but to educate specifiers, builders and homeowners about the advantages of tiles and the sustainable attributes that they have”.

“Training provision for fixers and suppliers is an area that I would like to see the TTA to develop more to ensure that customer service levels improve and the tile buying experience becomes less daunting.”

Ian succeeds Ashley Heath who in his final address to the membership asked them to reflect on the association’s 10th anniversary and “ what our working life would have been without The Tile Association”.

You can read both Ashley’s and Ian’s speech in full in the news section of the TTA website at www.tiles.org.uk

New Corporate Member for KBSA

The KBSA has announced that one of Europe’s largest privately owned manufacturers of domestic appliances, Hoover Candy, is the latest corporate member to join the association.

Hoover Candy is a well recognised and respected company with more than 100 years experience in the industry.

The group employs 6,000 people and has 10 factories producing a range of built in and freestanding appliances. They offer more than 200 built in product lines as well as an extensive range of freestanding appliances including the unique Rosiere Bocuse range cooker.

KBSA corporate chairman Malcolm Scott said, “We are delighted to welcome Hoover Candy into the Association. The KBSA is committed to growing its corporate membership which offers a unique opportunity for manufacturers and distributers to engage with some of the best specialist retailers on the high street.”

“We are pleased to support the KBSA,” says Hoover Candy Managing Director, Maurizio Severgnini. “We are continually launching new and innovative products which are specifically aimed at the premium kitchen sector and recognise the great strengths of the KBSA and its membership in this sector. We have already started to offer support to retailer members via national distributors, and look forward to working closely with the KBSA in the future”

T: 01623 818808
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W: www.kbsa.org.uk