Kitchen & Bath Design News

JUL 2013

Kitchen & Bath Design News is the industry's leading business, design and product resource for the kitchen and bath trade.

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Industry Update { Noteworthy developments impacting the kitchen and bath market } Cygnus, RICKI Form Strategic Research Alliance Fort Atkinson, WI — Cygnus Business Media, the parent company of Kitchen & Bath Design News and numerous business-to-business publications, Web sites and other media properties, has entered into a strategic alliance with the Research Institute for Cooking & Kitchen Intelligence (RICKI), the kitchen industry's premier research organization (see related story, Page 13; Editorial, Page 5). Announcement of the alliance was made last month by Cygnus Executive V.P. Kris Flitcroft, who oversees the residential and construction afnity group for the Fort Atkinson, WI-based Cygnus. Under the terms of the alliance, Cygnus will provide the Charlotte, NCbased RICKI with strategic consulting and business development services, as well as marketing and sales support aimed at assisting RICKI in growing its membership base as well as marketing other RICKI products. In exchange, RICKI will provide Cygnus with research services on trends in kitchens and kitchen-related businesses. Cygnus' b2b publications will reproduce a limited amount of RICKI research top-line fndings, as it has for some time, while detailed research fndings and input into studies will still be available only to RICKI members. "RICKI is the leading and most trusted source for kitchen research and trends," said KBDN Publisher Emeritus Eliot Sefrin, who will serve as Cygnus' liaison with RICKI. "In addition to tracking changes in the marketplace, RICKI's research studies go beyond traditional methodologies to better understand the mindset of today's consumers and professional designers to pinpoint trends that will impact our industry in the future." KBDN for several years has worked with RICKI in a relationship during which KBDN provided advertising services in exchange for research, Sefrin noted. "This alliance is an outgrowth and expansion of that," he said. "In order to continue its steady course of annual growth, RICKI has needed a team that can devote resources to growing membership, enhancing relationships within the industry and creating new revenue opportunities. "We intend to supply those tools, while providing our marketing/ad- vertising partners with an exclusive opportunity to benefit through critical insights into the market and customers they serve." RICKI, established by a group of professional market researchers, is primarily a membership-based organization consis ting of leading manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers and other kitchen-related businesses. Current members include Moen, Electrolux Major Appliances NA, KitchenAid, Broan-NuTone, Pfister Faucets, Elkay USA, Masco Cabinetry Group, Kohler Company, Wilsonart, Miele, Formica, Hafele America Co., DuPont, BSH Home Appliances, Meredith Corp. and American Standard. Since its founding in 2006, RICKI has conducted more than 75 studies in the kitchen and bath industry, in addition to numerous custom, proprietary research studies for KBDN and other kitchen-related companies in the marketplace. The organization, which has access to an exclusive Designer Panel of more than 1,500 designers for market research, also ofers consultation services, facilitation of ideation/ innovation sessions, ethnographic research and other services, including subscriptions to a quarterly tracking study among U.S. adults, measuring kitchen product purchases as well as remodeling plans and activities. "RICKI's reputation as a trusted source of information for kitchen research and trends will be a strong ft with Cygnus' Residential Group. Research conducted by RICKI among designers, showroom principals and other key audiences has shown that research and trend information are highly valued in the industry, and high on the list of the types of marketing support desired from manufacturers," Sefrin said. "We are excited about the alliance with KBDN and Cygnus. They are a top-notch organization with outstanding publications, other media properties and marketing power," stated RICKI Executive Director Brenda Bryan. "RICKI's ownership structure, how it operates and the great benefts to our members will remain unchanged. This cooperative alliance will only enhance the oferings to our members," Bryan further noted. KBDN-SEN Seminar Series Continues This Month sborne Wood Produc ts, I nc. Circle No. 5 on Product Card 10 | Kitchen & Bath Design News July 2013 Melville, NY — This month marks the second in a four-city series of all-day seminars being brought to the market under the 2013 educational partnership co-produced by Kitchen & Bath Design News and the SEN Design Group. The annual seminar series, which kicked of in May, is scheduled to make its next stop on July 17 at the Cosentino Center in Seattle. Sponsors of the 2013 educational initiative include Silestone by Cosentino, Daltile, Enkeboll Designs, Hafele America and Warmly Yours. Tom Blau, SEN The KBDN -SEN seminar series, titled "Systemizing V.P./Education Your Sales Approach for Maximum Proft," is being led by SEN V.P./Education Tom Blau. Created specifcally for showroom owners, managers and sales designers, the day-long program focuses on how kitchen and bath dealers can improve closing percentages, sales volume and gross margins by implementing a selling system keyed to today's market. Additional seminars are scheduled for Boston on Oct. 16 and Orlando on Nov. 6. Information, including registration details, is available by contacting the Chapel Hill, NC-based SEN Design Group at (800) 991-1711.

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