Four Key Qualities Your Kitchen And Bathroom Provider Needs To Have

Residential and commercial property developments are complex beasts, multiplied in difficulty by the range of suppliers you have to work with. As a result the relationship you have with your key suppliers and contacts is critical to project success.

Kitchen, laundry and bathroom providers are one cog in the supplier wheel and have unique requirements and offerings. When choosing your provider, you need to ensure that they can not only supply you with the product you need, but can do so on schedule and within budget time and time again.

Brad Street, General Manager at Winning Commercial, explains, “The large number of products that suppliers house combined with the diverse nature of developments creates complexity. Developers need to ensure that their provider can merge service and flexibility with their needs”.

With that in mind, there are four key qualities that you need to keep in mind when selecting your appliance and bathroom provider.

First and foremost your supplier should  have a broad range of products. From contemporary to luxury, having  options gives you the ability to match the right brand with the right development. Products need to fit two requirements:

Brands - Having well known brands can be a great way to gain the attention of potential buyers. Leading kitchen brands such as Fisher & Paykel, Haier, ILVE, Smeg, Electrolux, Westinghouse, AEG and Omega, as well as bathroom brands Parisi, Abey and Astra Walker are well known amongst consumers. These add a powerful affiliation to your development.

Range - Your supplier needs to cover all requirements of the kitchen and bathroom. This includes ovens, cooktops, rangehoods, fridges, dishwashers, baths, sinks and more. Additionally, you’ll need to have access to speciality items such as coffee machines and wine fridges.

For those who have been on the end of bad experience, you know the draining impact it can have on your development. Service should be at the heart of everything your supplier does so you can avoid an untimely headache.  With that in mind, make sure your chosen supplier provides you with:

• A dedicated account manager and access to a support team

• Timely responses to queries and issues

• Transparency on quotes and delivery agreements

• Complete delivery schedules for when and where you need products

Everyone knows the importance of relevant experience. As developers, you lean on your cumulative experience to know what will and won’t work for your project, a supplier is no different. Review with your supplier the major projects that they have worked on, especially clients that resonate with your company’s size and development focus.  

Offering the right products is one thing, being able to deliver them on time and on schedule is another. Your supplier needs to exhibit how they will actually get their products to your site. Items you can check include:

• Where their warehouses are located

• How often they will be able to deliver to your site location

• Visibility on their delivery schedules

• How they will handle rubbish removal from your site

• If they offer installation services

By combining these logistical offerings, your project will have the flexibility it needs.

Brad Street is General Manager at Winning Commercial. Winning Commercial provides kitchen, bathroom and laundry solutions to all sectors of the residential and commercial construction industry. The team works with builders, developers and architects Australia-wide and caters to the needs of all projects, from boutique to major developments.

The Urban Developer is proud to partner with Winning Commercial to deliver this article to you. In doing so, we can continue to publish our free daily news, information, insights and opinion to you, our valued readers.