Britannia enters sub £2,000 market with Stanza range cookers

Kitchens & Bathrooms News: Why are you exhibiting at KBB Birmingham?

Steve Dickson (SD): This is the first time we’ve been to KBB with such a big stand. We are now a separate division within Glen DImplex Home Appliances (GDHA). That was formed last July when Stoves, Belling and New World were joined by Britannia and Bertazzoni. It is a showcase for us, to show our customers we are one division solely focused on range cooking and that we offer products from £800 up to £5,000.

Kitchens & Bathrooms News: How familiar were the retailers with the changes and creation of the one range cooking division?

Sponsored Video

Lauren Goodbrand of Kitchens International on winning the Kbsa Concept Designer Award 2024

SD: I don’t think many were. It surprised us how many were unaware. [Exhibiting at KBB] was a great way of us getting that message across to our customers, that we are moving forward and we can offer them a one-stop shop.

Kitchens & Bathrooms News: What has the reaction been like by retailers?

SD: It’s been fantastic. We’ve certainly been rushed off our feet. We’ve got lots of new products that we’ve been talking about, particularly on Britannia which is great to see. Customers really like what we’re doing.

Kitchens & Bathrooms News: Can you tell us about the new products?

SD: We’re introducing in the new couple of months a new product line called Stanza, which is 900mm and 1000mm twin cavity dual fuel product. That really enables us to operate with Britannia in the sub £2,000 sector, which is where a lot of the market is moving to. We’re also introducing Britannia mini ranges for the first time, 600mm in dual fuel and induction. Finally, we have an update to Fleet, which is a popular model in the Britannia range but we’ve updated it with gloss colours.

Kitchens & Bathrooms News: How are you helping retailers against the likes of discounting on the web?

SD: We do invest in our retailers. We support retailers who support us. If retailers are willing to put our products on the shop floor then we will support them via display discounts. We also have a dedicated sales team, now, the biggest in the industry on range cooking who go into the stores every four weeks. If a product isn’t right for that demographic then we’ll take that product out and put one in that will work.

Kitchens & Bathrooms News: Can you explain why the Range Cooking Division also features refrigeration?

SD: What we find is that we’re selling a lifestyle, so it’s range cookers, hoods, splashbacks and side-by-side refrigeration, which is very popular at the moment. It’s one team focused on selling those products.

Kitchens & Bathrooms News: How has KBB Birmingham been for you?

SD: We’ve re-engaged with a lot of old customers and we’ve developed new business relationships, so it’s been really positive for us.