Member Article

Black Country entrepreneur cooks up new kitchen venture

A local entrepreneur has invested more than £100,000 into setting up a new kitchen business in Brierley Hill.

Mitchell Smith, a former pupil at Ellowes Hall School, has launched Black Country Kitchens to offer customers bespoke design and installation services and access to more than 60 kitchens across its classical, contemporary and painted ranges.

The fully qualified carpenter has teamed up with sales manager Bob Peters to equip a 1750 sq showroom on the Delph Road Industrial Estate and has set himself the target of achieving £175,000 turnover in the first year.

A host of special offers are in place to celebrate the launch and, as part of its commitment to sourcing locally, each customer will receive a special Black Country hamper including Bathams and Holdens beer, scratchings, black pudding and faggots.

“We wanted to give people an alternative to the big companies who often give faceless service and the same old ‘off the shelf’ kitchens,” explained Mitchell, who also owns Smith Carpentry Services.

“Customers are bored of the same old flat pack ranges and are looking to increasingly add their own touches and have more of an influence over the design. This is where we really come into our own.”

He continued: “Bob has more than 20 years customising kitchens and, using 3D modeling, will work with you to come up with options that match your exact requirements. Then our experienced fitters will install efficiently at a time that suits you.

“We are proud of our Black Country roots so wanted to highlight that with the hampers that give an insight into some of the finest food and drink in the area.”

Black Country Kitchens work closely with a number of leading kitchen manufacturers, including Burbidge, Bella, TKC and a host of others.

Each partner has been selected to reflect contemporary, classic or painted design and can be customised to make the most of available space or to add that extra special finishing touch.

A virtual gallery is currently being developed for the new website and this will complement the Delph Road Industrial Estate showroom, which is open six days per week and late evenings by appointment.

Bob continued: “We can look after anything from a kitchen for a small apartment or a large suite for a country home…we’re going for the client that wants something a bit special.

“This is also reflected in the level of customer service we provide. You’ll be dealing with either Mitchell or I on the project, from initial design through to installation and after care support. Why not let us have the opportunity to show you what we could do in your home?”

He concluded: “There’ll be no big call centres to tie you in knots. We want you to love what we do and how you’ve been looked after…that will get us repeat business.”

Black Country Kitchens has a three-year business plan that will se it grow to £500,000 by 2017, with the possibility of a second showroom. If successful, this approach will create six new jobs and a number of part time roles.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Russ Cockburn .