Raising the roof

AFG Kitchens’ md Jim Gettings is shouting from the rooftops as he launches the new Warendorf brand and unveils a host of exclusive designs by Philippe Starck.

Nothing was going to get in Jim Gettings’ way when it came to installing the country’s first display of new kitchen designs by Philippe Starck. Quite literally,
the md of AFG Kitchens UK had to raise the roof of his showroom to squeeze in the striking library kitchen which features tall bookshelves, designed to combine kitchen and living area elements.
“The new designs by Philippe Starck are big news for us,” says Gettings. “Whereas traditional kitchen design focuses on appliances, Starck focuses on the furniture so that the only appliance you see in this display is the hob. That’s what makes it different.”
And it’s not just the new Starck ranges that are causing a buzz. Gettings is also managing a change of brand name for the kitchens he sells – from Miele Die Küche to Warendorf. “We view the change with great excitement,” he says. “It’s an opportunity to stand on our own feet.”
Changing the name may seem surprising but when Miele sold its kitchen furniture business to AFG of Switzerland in 2005, it only granted AFG a license to use the name for five years. The new name – Warendorf, pronounced Var-en-dorf – is named after the location of the factory in Germany which has been producing its kitchens for 35 years.
But why not use the AFG name? “The company has two other kitchen brand; Forster and Piatti, which are both well known in Switzerland,” explains Gettings.
 “In due course, we will bring these brands to the UK too, so it makes sense to distinguish them.” He also believes it’s important to capitalise on the Miele heritage, even though he admits to mixed feelings about the Miele Die Küche brand.
“When the business was sold to AFG, I think the perception was that the kitchens were well engineered, would last a lifetime, and were of very high quality, but that they perhaps lacked cachet
on the design front,” he says. “Within the first six months, it became very clear that AFG were going to invest substantially in bringing the products right up to date.” A stream of new design launches, of which Starck by Warendorf is just one, is evidence of this on-going investment, and worth promoting under a new, stand-alone brand.
“Warendorf is everything that Miele Die Küche stood for and more,” he says. “Engineering and quality standards remain very high, but design is now very important too. Miele would take two years to bring in a new range, whereas we’ve brought in six new ranges in the last nine months, including the new Starck range.”
The showroom opened in July last year and is ample evidence of AFG’s commitment to design: 14 full displays are spaciously arranged over 8,500 sq ft on two floors. The former warehouse premises cost £¾m to refurbish and have been designed to show the extensive choice on offer. “We don’t have ranges,” says Gettings. “We make furniture.” Customers can choose from 2,000 lacquer colours, 15 matt laminates, 12 gloss laminates and a large number of veneers, including eight exotic woods, with or without handles.
Each kitchen is made to order and, with the exception of Starck by Warendorf, styles aren’t named, they’re numbered, in a system that emphasises the way customers can mix and match across the entire collection. Isn’t so much choice confusing? Not according to Gettings. “Customers love it. While other companies may limit them we don’t. Everybody wants to be individual.”
As well as selling Warendorf kitchens through a network of dealers, and to builders and architects, the showroom is also being used to attract the retail market. “Customers aren’t frightened of coming to a trading estate,” he says of the location. “That’s the way the market is moving, as kitchen retailers move out of town. This kind of scale is impossible to replicate on the high street.” A local radio advertising campaign draws in business, as does word of mouth, and Miele’s appliance showroom nearby.
And the future? “We have a great opportunity to expand our dealer network,” says Gettings. “We have great product and a high visibility market­ing programme. This year is going to be phenomenal for this brand, there’s no question about it.”