Bath and Kitchen Pro

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In the year 2023, we know we must include a finish on every faucet from any vendor. The same as when we order an automobile, chair or lighting. Adding colors to any piece makes it special and in many instances the color is more important than any other look that product offers.

Color is so important and so individual, that a red indoor paint search on Sherwin - Williams' website delivers more than 140 related colors.

The most recent National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) Market Outlook Report projects 2023 bath and kitchen revenue will reach $162.4 billion, a 14% decrease when compared to the previous year. With potential recessionary pressure, high mortgage rates and a cooling residential housing market, Supply House Times chatted with a few showroom professionals from around the country to gauge what’s expected in the 2023 showroom sector.

With all of the goings on over the last two years, many of us have lost sight of our customer base undergoing a significant change. Baby Boomers have moved into the background as Millennials are entering their prime earning time and make up a significant portion of decorative plumbing showrooms' professional and homeowner customers.

The NKBA announced its 2023 Board of Directors. Jan Heck, president and CEO of Miele USA, was elected NKBA Board Chair, succeeding Basil E. Larkin, senior vice president of sales at Hestan Commercial Corp.  

When I open the ballroom door and enter the 2022 DPHA conference, the booths catch my eye but I am looking for familiar industry wide faces and those new personalities that i do not know.  The DPHA conference is all about the decorative plumbing and hardware, period. It presents me with the opportunity to see new products from decorative plumbing and hardware focused vendors, industry relevant education sessions and opportunities to interact with the people that manage and own DPHA businesses.

The National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) had a monumental year in 2022. It kicked off with the first in-person Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) event since 2020. Additionally, in October, NKBA moved from Hackettstown, New Jersey to its brand new headquarters in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. 

The programs include the first NKBA International Buyer’s Tour, the NKBA Global Connect Pavilion, and the NKBA Global Connect Delegation Program.  All will take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center, January 31 - Feb 2, 2023, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

To demonstrate just how popular these outdoor home additions have become, Saniflo USA explored the internet, surveying search and social media metrics. The company found that the outdoor kitchen trend inspires over 49,500 monthly Google searches of the keyword 'outdoor kitchen' in the United States alone. In addition, 558,000 posts use #outdoorkitchen on Instagram. Outdoor bathroom receives 2,900 monthly Google searches in the United States, and 11,000 posts use #outdoorkitchen on Instagram.

As an owner or manager, your laser focus is on each vendor’s profit and, mistakenly, assume that your salespeople share your bottom-line focus. I suggest you are focusing on the deliverables, and they are involved in the process, the sales process. In most cases, you will not be able to move your salespeople to your side of this question by simply showing them the money. The way to move them is to show them how these HVVs will fuel their desire to be a great showroom salesperson.

The survey showed that designers’ client pool continues to be mostly older, mainly Gen X  and Boomers. However, there is a growing Millennial client base that is gaining momentum. In fact, 17 percent of respondents said they are designing more for this group than any other, nearly double what it was in 2020.