Wickes to Take on 900 New K&B Consultants & Installers

With demand for fully designed and installed kitchens continuing to grow, Wickes is investing significantly in its professional Kitchen & Bathroom offer by acquiring design consultants and installers from B&Q; as the retailer pulls these services from its business. 

As rival DIY retailers reduce or cease their professional design and installation services, Wickes’ recruitment drive is targeting 900 B&Q colleagues, demonstrating continued commitment to providing the best customer experience - showcasing consumer confidence in the market and bucking the current negative trends seen in the retail sector.

With over 600 talented design consultants already spread across 230 showrooms nationally, Wickes is bolstering this with an additional 150 design consultants. In addition, its installer network with over 1900 teams, is looking to take on 750 skilled fitters, responding to the increased demand for kitchen and bathroom installation.

This significant intake of talent emphasises Wickes’ ongoing investment into their kitchen and bathroom offering, which also includes new showroom layouts and store refits in over 100 stores to date as part of a long term roll-out initiative.

The transition of the new team will be completed by the end of 2018 and with over 90%^[1] of customers who have an installed kitchen or bathroom choosing to have additional specialist works carried out as part of their project, this couldn’t come at a better time. Specialist works, such as tiling, are best planned at the start of a project and it is clear that consumers are looking for a company that can deliver full design, installation and a complete room solution from lighting, flooring, tiling and paint alongside a showroom offering.

Fraser Longden, HR and Operations Director, Wickes said: “Our kitchen and bathroom showroom offering is witnessing an increasing demand from consumers wanting a fully installed service, so by taking on more installers and design consultants, we’ll be able to undertake more projects for customers. We believe that the demand and growth in this area represents a multi-million pound opportunity, and a bolstered team will help us tap into this, becoming the go-to-brand when it comes to choosing a new kitchen or bathroom.”

“We’re really excited to welcome a new pool of talent that will bring some fantastic experience to our business, and delighted that so many are choosing to further their career with us. With the role of the kitchen continuing to change from simply a functional space to the heart of the home, ensuring that customers can benefit from a dedicated & personal service when making such a big and significant purchase is really important to us. Our end-to-end service means customers can enjoy a bespoke design suited to their space with a design consultant, have access to the latest products, they can even get down to the detail of what paint goes on each wall, with the work carried out by our approved installers; tying the whole journey together under one roof."

^[1] Wickes research, 2018

Source: Insight DIY Team & Wickes press release.

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