Kbb Birmingham 2024, which took place last month was a huge success for German Kitchens brand Sachsenküchen according to Bodie Kelay, managing director of Euromobel/Sachsenküchen.
Distributor Euromobel announced back in March 2023 that it had become the exclusive UK and Ireland agent for German kitchen brand Sachsenküchen, which would join its other Kbb distributor agent brands of Villeroy & Boch, Küppersbusch and In-Ipso.
Kbb Birmingham is one of Europe's leading Kbb events and getting German kitchen brand Sachsenküchen exhibiting there so soon after becoming the exclusive UK and Ireland agent was no mean feat for Euromobel.
Managing director of Euromobel/Sachsenküchen, Kelay said: “KBB Birmingham was the perfect platform to welcome so many visitors and there was an exciting buzz on the stand as we helped retailers explore new opportunities. It also highlighted our continued commitment to supporting independent KBB specialists with a truly unique kitchen offering.”
Visitors to the Sachsenküchen / Küppersbusch stand were able to see the new Patrizia collection, the ‘Woodline’ range and AccuraBox, Sachsenküchen’s new precision drawer system with six customisable design options.
Building The Brand Sachsenküchen
Launching a new Kbb brand in the UK is not an easy task, especially given the difficult trading conditions post covid and post 'Truss Mini Budget" but where Rational and Warendorf faltered, Bodie Kelay thinks Sachsenküchen has an opportunity to fill the void left by them and strengthen Sachsenküchen's proposition in the mid-to-upper sector of the UK market.
Established in 1908 and based in Obercarsdorf in the region of Saxony, Sachsenküchen (pronounced Saxon Kuchen) manufacturers some 18,000 kitchens a year, half of which to the export market, which Bodie Kelay is keen to build upon.
For 20 years or so now Euromobel has established itself as a KBB trade specialist to represent German manufacturers in the UK.
Going forward Euromobel will need to tread carefully due to the precarious nature of the Kbb sector in the UK and the sluggishness to rebound post Truss Mini Budget of 2022. The huge cost of living increases combined with an unprecedented rise in interest rates and reduced access to secured credit - often used for £25k plus home renovation projects - will surely hamper the Kbb sector until the mortgage rates sees some stability but Bodie Kelay thinks he has backed the right horse in adding Sachsenküchen to its UK and Ireland portfolio.
The ability for Sachsenküchen to offer more bespoke solutions and its unrivalled ability to produce book matched veneers and book matched laminates added to its appeal but it was how German Kitchens brand Sachsenküchen has achieved its growth in recent years that really caught Euromobel's Bodie Kelay eye.
Delay told former editor of Essential Kitchen & Bathroom Business magazine, Nicola Hanley in May 2023 that Sachsenküchen: “They’ve gone from a €30m to a €60m turnover business. And they’ve managed to do it in the same square footage of factory at a time where we’re seeing other German manufacturers doubling the size of their production plants. But Sachsenküchen have done it by thinking smarter and by the automation they’ve created. They haven’t needed to double the workforce, so it has gone from 210-240 people because of the right investment. And that’s a philosophy we take to the dealer network. Don’t work harder, work smarter. It’s all about working with likeminded people.”
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