Coronavirus UPDATE from our MD, Wayne Dance

Dear all,

I’m writing to reassure you that during this difficult and unprecedented period that we are here to support you and your business.

We have built our network on the power of relationships and shared values. The importance of family is one of our key values, and you are part of the InHouse family. Supporting our partners is also of paramount importance, and you know that we are always here, 24/7.

We have taken the difficult decision to take our reps temporarily off the road. This is the first time that we’ve ever done this, because we know how vital powerful relationships and personal contact are to our industry, however, we want to keep our employees, you (our customers) and your families as safe as possible.

The manufacturers we represent have been selected with care and share our values. Schüller, Peilpal and Colombini Casa are family businesses, built on generations of hard graft and are solid and secure. Schüller is closing its factory for only two days to do a full deep clean; there is plenty of stock available so delays on delivery will be kept to a minimum, unlike other kitchen manufacturers, many of whom are having to close for weeks. Do call your rep or the office on 01661 842304 if you need an update on any orders or deliveries to pass onto your customers.

We also want to support you in your business; we are all concerned about what the future holds and what the short-term impact and the long-term consequences will be. Please pick up the phone and talk to us, we can share what other people are doing, and what we ourselves are putting in place. By working and collaborating with each other, we will not just get through, we will continue to prosper.

I believe that every adversity also offers opportunity, so we need to be positive and show to our communities and customers, that we are here and open for business. We need to inspire people to dream of a better, healthier future for themselves and their own families.

Don’t forget we are here for you in these difficult times.

Stay safe and keep well.

Wayne Dance
Managing Director
InHouse Inspired Room Design

How to survive as a KBB retailer

Many are attracted to the KBB business by the lure of big- ticket prices. But with those come big risks. Wayne Dance, MD of InHouse, highlights the main pitfalls and how retailers can build a business that will stand the test of time

The KBB industry is seen by many who enter it as a golden goose – an opportunity to earn big money. It’s easy to understand why.

First, you have the big price tags on kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms and the availability of vacant premises. These are likely to have stood empty for a long time, making landlords willing to offer attractive rents with deferred commencement, which buffers the cost of opening up and fitting out displays.

Add to this various manufacturers who offer kamikaze deals to new retailers to display their products. Then you have installers who offer their services either way below normal price, or in some instances free of charge, in return for a promise of the future installation work on end-consumer sales. When you put all this together in a business plan blender and press the mixer button, it makes a very appetising pie.

In reality, it’s not quite as lucrative or as easy as it all sounds. Two out of every three new home-interest business start-ups fail in the first three years of opening. There are various reasons for this, such as being underfinanced, in the wrong location, choosing the wrong supplier, being naïve about business, poor customer service or even the prevailing economic climate. These add up to the main reason for bankruptcy: cash flow – or the lack of it.

How does a retailer ensure they can survive? What is the blueprint for a successful KBB retail operation?

The first major consideration has to be getting your research and planning correct from day one. If you were building a house, you would make sure the foundations were sound. If you built a house on quicksand, the outcome would certainly result in collapse.

Once you are sure that your research has given the right demographic, the right location and the right suppliers, you then need to ensure your business is not underfinanced. This is to protect yourself in the event of a quiet spell, so you don’t go into starvation mode and create cash-flow and credit line issues.

Planning the right displays and targeting the right audience should go hand-in-glove to avoid becoming just another pea in the industry pod.

In order to maximise margins, a retailer needs to stay above the levels of the mass-market giants, such as the sheds. Create designs that are hard to copy and are not easily accessible from competitors. This way, you are creating a select market for your business. It’s too easy to get obsessed with price.

Price is important, but it’s not the most important reason to buy. If it were all solely about price, we’d all be living in the cheapest houses, driving the cheapest cars, wearing the cheapest clothes and eating the cheapest food.

Brand awareness and value for money should be the core focus of a retailer’s marketing attack. That’s why InHouse as a supplier has spent more than £1.5 million creating brand awareness for its network.

Love it or loathe it, the internet is here to stay. It can be both instrumental and detrimental to business, because it opens up a much larger choice for the consumer. Again, this is another reason to market yourself above the rest.

The worst thing that can happen to a retailer is when he or she bears the cost of a showroom where a consumer can see, feel and experience the products they are interested in, then spends the time educating the customer, only for that customer to go to a cheaper, online supplier who’s done very little to earn the order. They have no showroom overheads, and they are therefore able to steal the order purely because they are cheaper on price.

Minimise risk

By being clever in what you are offering, you minimise your risk and increase your margins. Charge a nominal fee for plans being released so as to protect your design. This might be a £500 release fee that will be refunded once the customer places an order. This prevents the time-wasters using your skills to defect to the cheapest bidder for a similar look. After all, they are coming to you for professional advice and you are investing time and hard-earned experience in providing them with a design.

You wouldn’t expect to go to a lawyer for four hours’ worth of free legal advice, would you? Their rate is likely to be at least £250 an hour. In reality, you are a similarly specialised adviser. It’s far more profitable to have customers who have committed to working with you, than it is to spend time chasing deals only for them to walk out the door.

When planning your marketing campaigns, highlight these USPs on social media, so that the viewer is intrigued by its attraction. Use relevant hashtags for your local area or your USP.

Most importantly, once you win the order, make sure you deliver on what you’ve promised. A happy customer today is a referral for tomorrow. And referrals are the most profitable sales. Every stone dropped in a pond creates ripples. The more satisfied customers you have, the more ripples and positive referrals you create.

However, the opposite is also true. You may do 999 things right and one thing wrong, but it’s always the one wrong thing that crops up in conversation. So make sure that the customer is perfectly happy.

Ask them if they wouldn’t mind writing you a referral letter that you can add to your website with before, during and after pictures.

Remember you get one chance to make a first impression and first impressions last.

InHouse VOTED as Showspace of the year at the Designer Awards 2019

We can’t be anymore thankful and grateful to be presented with the Show Space of the Year award on behalf of @designerKBaward and @ArtiCADDesign at the awards on the 10th October 2019. It’s truly amazing when all the hard work shines through. Congratulations and thank you to everyone who voted.

EUROCUCINA 2018

At the EuroCucina, the premium brand celebrates the premiere of the new collection: a holistic brand experience of product, design and marketing.

17. until 22. April 2018

From southern Germany out into the world: next125 excited showgoers with its superlative exhibition stand at this year’s EuroCucina during Salone del Mobile in Milan. At the same time, next125 proved to be a smash hit among the international audience with its standard of design and product innovations. Well attended at all times and speaking to the emotions, the exhibition stand perfectly visualised the brand values of next125 – “Design in harmony with nature and price”. Elegant, dark, with indirect accent lighting, open and closed areas as well as interesting and exciting vistas, the stand provided the stage for displaying six kitchens configured with innovations from next125 for every aspect of the kitchen as a space to live in. The animal protagonists from the new brand campaign were a magnet among stand visitors and, besides the business side of things, gave a sense of cheer to the exhibition and brought it to life in a way that will be remembered.

INNOVATIONS 2018

single line

Our single line front look enables an elegant appearance thanks to reduced lines. The result is a front image that can be seen as a further development of an even clearer design style, more consistent lines and a more objective reduction. This option is limited to just one horizontal grip ledge profile below the worktop that is used for opening the first drawer or pull-out. The drawers/pull-outs below them are opened by means of the mechanical drawer/ pull-out opening system TIP-ON. The result is a reduced front appearance with aesthetic appeal. At the same time, nothing stands in the way of using worktops in the thickness of 1.2 cm to 4 cm

Sideboards

How do you create a stylish connection between kitchen, dining room and living room? Our answer: the multifunctional next125 sideboards. Thanks to their clean design, they appear almost to float, and at the same time, the constructive substructure underlines the cubic architecture. Clear, pure, aesthetic and yet featuring many loving details. For example the lowered tray as a tableau, the push-in shelf or the open shelf base unit with pull-outs. Of course, our sideboards are also available with a fully closed front – offered in 3 heights and 4 widths. A choice of satin lacquer, matt velvet lacquer, laminate Fenix and veneer finishes are available.

Frame Rack aluminium open shelf unit system

Fine lines and exciting industrial-style structures give the FRAME RACK its consciously minimalist radiance. In addition, the universal application potential: whether wall mounted, floor standing, integrated into the island or suspended from the ceiling shelf solution. The sophisticated FRAME RACK system made of aluminium always shows itself in its functional and at the same time attractive form. Perfectly designed for individual kitchen planning, the FRAME RACK is available in the profile versions aluminium stainless steel coloured and Aluminium onyx black.

LED pendant light

Illuminates, but as a light, it is practically invisible. Like a line in the landscape – the light floats above the dining table or cooking area so delicately, and yet is a perfect illuminator. Equipped with a 4-channel remote control, the light colour temperature can be controlled with precision. Available in two versions: stainless steel coloured and onyx black. Thanks to its continuous height adjustment technology, the light can be used anywhere. Thanks to the LED equipment, it is energy-saving and is in the energy efficiency class A+.

Onyx black cubes

Our Cube system mounted on the wall, specially developed for next125, is a real niche product. It makes work in the kitchen so much easier. Everything is instantly on hand. Black on black is the new subject. Avoiding hard contrasts and creating harmonious combinations. In order to fulfil this zeitgeist, the profiles and cubes of the recess panel system are now also available in aluminium onyx black in addition to the aluminium stainless steel version. In particular, the onyx black tone-in-tone combination provides a modern look with a practically invisible appearance. An advantage of our Cube system, whether light or dark, is the quick access to all kitchen aids. Whether kitchen roll, knife block, spices or cooking spoons – everything is instantly on hand.

Panel garden with integrated lighting

What can be better than using fresh herbs to cook with? We have developed a solution just for this: The panel garden with integrated lighting helps herbs to remain fresh for longer – this makes particular sense in darker parts of the kitchen. The lighting is controlled by a timer that leaves the light on for 14 hours and then switches it off for 10 hours. Thus, you always have fresh herbs to hand and do not need to visit the market as often. The panel garden is also available without illumination, in the event that the herbs receive sufficient daylight.

Flex-Boxes made from moulded
nonwoven material

A new idea for our drawers and pull-outs: our Flex-Boxes made from moulded nonwoven material. The soft non-woven material has a pleasant feel and softens the noises made by cutlery, kitchen utensils or China. There are 7 moulded nonwoven inserts that can be combined in any way to form an interior: cutlery insert, cooking utensil insert, knife block insert, small nonwoven box, large nonwoven box, lid for large nonwoven box, plate rack and additional anti-slip mats. The Flex-Boxes in oak can be combined ideally with the Flex-Boxes made from moulded nonwoven material as both types are coordinated in size. The Flex-Boxes made from moulded nonwoven material can be cleaned by vacuuming them, wiping them (with a damp cloth) or, if heavily soiled, by washing them in the dishwasher on an Eco 45 °C cycle.

InHouse introduces WAVE to its Portfolio

WAVE – FASHION. FOR KITCHEN.

A cooker hood is a necessity when it comes to good ventilation in the kitchen. WAVE believes that a cooker hood serves a function as well as a decorative purpose in your kitchen. Because Wave is fully specialised in cooker hoods, they can supply the model you have in mind. This can be a standard product or custom made if required. Your request is their challenge! The result is evident in our brands’ new collections, in which technique and design are fully integrated.

See more>

Wave Website>

A few kind words from owner Vincent van den Berg

NEW COLLABORATION!
We are very happy to announce that as from now, Wave will be represented in the UK by InHouse! As an important agent in the UK, they also represent brands like Schuller Kitchens, which is one of the most renowned kitchen brands in Germany. InHouse always strives for further improvement, they are very driven and they work fast. In fact, we will release our new book for the UK already in June and in September they will open a new showroom for which we already shared some ideas for further detailing. It is going to be stunning!

A successful KBB 2018

A fantastic KBB 2018, gave InHouse the ideal opportunity to showcase its new partnership with Steel Cucine.

Designer Awards 2017

Designer Kitchen & Bathroom Awards 2017

WINNER
Vienna by Schüller – Best in Innovation in Kitchen Design

Malo receiving the Designer Kitchen & Bathroom award for the Schüller Vienna, Best in Innovation in Kitchen Design. The Designer Awards recognise and reward the very best talent in kitchen and bathroom design. Judged by experienced and highly respected industry figures, the winning entries are announced at the annual London gala luncheon. Complete with a celebratory presentation, the awards are attended by numerous key members of the kitchen and bathroom industry.

See more from the evening here: www.designerkbawards.com

BKU Awards 2017 – Best Sales Representative

We’re winners at the BKU Industry Awards

We love it when our retailers and designers win awards – it’s what makes us a great community and we’re rightly proud of the fantastic retailers we work with.
There is one thing that trumps it though. That’s when our retailers vote for us and our team.
Stuart Dance who looks after retailers from the North of England right up to the tips of Scotland has been voted by his retailers and colleagues in the industry as Best Sales Representative 2017.

Wayne Dance, founder of InHouse and father of Stuart Dance says, “Stuart is not only a natural born salesman, he’s extremely dedicated and hard-working. This award, in particular, means a lot as he’s been voted for by our retailers. And there’s nothing quite like that for recognition. I’m incredibly proud of Stuart and the whole InHouse team. We’ve built a great business. This is the icing on the cake for me. Well done Stu!”

A star of the industry

Stuart (pictured centre) receiving his award from Jimmy Carr (pictured left) at the 2017 Bathroom & Kitchen Update Awards

BKU Awards 2017 – Finalists

Congratulations to all finalists in the BKU awards 2017 and a special thank you to all who voted for Pelipal and Director Stuart Dance, who are finalists in the below categories.

Best Bathroom Furniture Brand
Pelipal

Best Sales Representative sponsored by kbb Birmingham
Stuart Dance

Good luck

Please note all winners will be announced at the ceremony hosted by Jimmy Carr on Thursday 22nd June 2017 at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel, London.

BKU Awards 2017 – Nominations

InHouse are delighted to have our brands and team nominated for the BKU awards

You will find them in the relevant categories below:

Best Bathroom Furniture Brand
Pelipal

Best Overall Kitchen Brand
Schüller

Best Kitchen Components Brand
Schüller

Best Overall Brand of the Year
Schüller

Best Sales Representative sponsored by kbb Birmingham
Stuart Dance – Malo Tasle – Eddie Lavery

Best Customer Service
Christopher Dance

VOTE NOW

Please note voting closes on the 19th May 2017 and the winners will be announced at the ceremony hosted by Jimmy Carr on Thursday 22nd June 2017 at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel, London.