29-02-2020, 11:11 AM
As ansy says above, there are loads of options, and it depends how far you want to take your business, and in which direction.
Like you, I got fed up with Howdens, so approached a local independent showroom and they supplied me with a better product at a better (and consistent!) price. It worked well but I wanted to take it further, so 5 years ago I set up my own showroom. Very rewarding but a lot of hard work! I'm happy with the decision I took, but if this is not your ultimate aim you can still further your business without the expense and risk of the overheads of a showroom.
I would approach local independent showrooms and see what products they can offer you on a supply only basis. They will generally be offering a higher quality product than Howdens/the sheds, and speaking personally, if we can get a supply only kitchen sale it's a nice little bonus for us - good fitters are hard to find, so if I can make a bit of profit without the hassle of arranging the fitting it's ideal.
The main choice you need to make at this stage is how far you go down the design route yourself, as proper design software is a significant investment. I started with NexusCAD which is basic but is really very good for the money. We now use Compusoft Winner which IMO is the best out there for our needs, but is mega money. It just depends how far you want to take things.
Like you, I got fed up with Howdens, so approached a local independent showroom and they supplied me with a better product at a better (and consistent!) price. It worked well but I wanted to take it further, so 5 years ago I set up my own showroom. Very rewarding but a lot of hard work! I'm happy with the decision I took, but if this is not your ultimate aim you can still further your business without the expense and risk of the overheads of a showroom.
I would approach local independent showrooms and see what products they can offer you on a supply only basis. They will generally be offering a higher quality product than Howdens/the sheds, and speaking personally, if we can get a supply only kitchen sale it's a nice little bonus for us - good fitters are hard to find, so if I can make a bit of profit without the hassle of arranging the fitting it's ideal.
The main choice you need to make at this stage is how far you go down the design route yourself, as proper design software is a significant investment. I started with NexusCAD which is basic but is really very good for the money. We now use Compusoft Winner which IMO is the best out there for our needs, but is mega money. It just depends how far you want to take things.
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