Table of Contents
Executive Summary
-
- The market
- 6% spending growth in 2018
- Positive outlook for spending growth
-
- Figure 1: Consumer spending on kitchens, 2014-24
- Average spending will rise, driven by design and individualisation
- Larger, open plan kitchens will remain popular
- Significant changes in channels to market
-
- Figure 2: Kitchens, channels to market, 2014 and 2018
- Cooking and eating at home
- Kitchens have been getting smaller since the 1960s
- 2018-19 enjoyed a steady housing market
-
- Figure 3: UK housing transactions, (percentage change on the same month 2018), January-August 2019
- People are beginning to save more and borrow less
-
- Figure 4: Trends in how respondents would describe their financial situation, September 2014-19
- Companies and brands
- Wren Kitchens overtakes B&Q’s market share
-
- Figure 5: Share of consumer spending on kitchens, 2018 (est)
- Variety of companies serve the kitchen market
- Substantial changes in the DIY sector
- IKEA’s planning studios are a shift in strategy for this major furniture retailer
- Trade-facing businesses show fast growth
- Shortening lead times and changes to installation services
- Wren and Magnet can design a bespoke kitchen
- B&Q and Homebase rebrand kitchens
- Pricing strategies
- Social media features ‘real’ kitchens
- John Lewis enters the major refurbishment business
- What the future could hold
- The consumer
- 23% of homes has a utility room
-
- Figure 6: Kitchens and utility rooms in the UK's homes, September 2019
- 60% of kitchens have at least some built-in appliances
-
- Figure 7: Type of appliances in kitchens, September 2019
- Open plan living means kitchens are a hub for households
-
- Figure 8: Description of kitchen and dining areas, September 2019
- One in five kitchens refitted in the last three years
-
- Figure 9: Kitchen and utility room refits and repairs, September 2019
- 67% of kitchen refits created larger kitchens
-
- Figure 10: Kitchen extensions and knock through, September 2019
- IKEA and B&Q stand out as the most-shopped kitchen retailers
-
- Figure 11: Retailers where households spent most for kitchens bought in the last three years, selected companies, September 2018-19
- Kitchen shoppers are influenced by price, knowledgeable planners and fitting services
-
- Figure 12: Factors that influenced choice of retailer, September 2019
- Non-buyers are slightly more focused on price
-
- Figure 13: Factors that would influence choice of retailer (non-buyers), September 2019
- Priorities for kitchens
-
- Figure 14: Priorities for kitchen refits, September 2019
- Non-buyers focus on improving storage
-
- Figure 15: Priorities for kitchens and utility rooms, non-buyers, September 2019
- The ideal kitchen is spacious, simple and stylish
-
- Figure 16: Descriptions of the ideal kitchen, September 2019
- What we think
Issues and Insights
-
- The trend for spacious, open plan kitchens creates more scope for retailers
- The facts
- The implications
- The importance of meeting a kitchen designer
- The facts
- The implications
- Will the DIY retailers revive their kitchen performance?
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
-
- 6% spending growth in 2018
- Positive outlook for spending growth
- Average spending will rise, driven by design and individualisation
- Larger, open plan kitchens will remain popular
- Significant changes in channels to market
- Cooking and eating at home
- Kitchens have been getting smaller since the 1960s
- 2018-19 enjoyed a steady housing market
- People feel positive about their finances
Market Size and Forecast
-
- Market growth of 6% in 2018
- Positive outlook for spending growth
-
- Figure 17: Consumer spending on kitchens, 2014-24
- Average spending on kitchens will continue to rise
-
- Figure 18: Consumer spending on kitchens, 2014-24
- Forecast methodology
Market Segmentation
-
- Complex market with many elements
-
- Figure 19: Market for kitchens, by segment, 2019 (est)
- Choice of colours is becoming more important
- Cabinets make up over half of kitchen spend
- Innovative storage
- Worktops benefit from premium demand
- Emphasis on the kitchen as a home hub
- Tomorrow’s smart kitchens will place new demands on layout and design
- Reluctance to build in electronic gadgets
- Trading up to a boiling water tap
Channels to Market
-
- Strong gains for kitchen multiples driven by Wren Kitchens
-
- Figure 20: Kitchens, channels to market, 2014-18
Market Drivers
-
- A nation of cooks
-
- Figure 21: Frequency of cooking from scratch, August 2019
- 84% mainly eat their main meals at home
-
- Figure 22: Frequency of eating main meals at home, August 2019
- Easier to order meals for home delivery
- Kitchens have been getting smaller since the 1960s
-
- Figure 23: kitchen area, by decade homes were built, 2019
- 2018-19 enjoyed a steady housing market
-
- Figure 24: UK housing transactions, by country, year to end, March 2015-19
- Slowdown in housing transactions in 2019
-
- Figure 25: UK housing transactions (percentage change on the same month 2018), January-July 2019
- People feel positive about their finances
-
- Figure 26: Trends in how respondents would describe their financial situation, September 2014-19
- Signs of consumer caution
-
- Figure 27: Trends in selected activities done, January 2018-September 2019
- Positive intentions for spending on the home
-
- Figure 28: Trends in selected activities done and planned, spend money on my home, January 2018-September 2019
Companies and Brands – What You Need to Know
-
- Wren Kitchens overtakes B&Q’s market share
- Variety of companies serve the kitchen market
- Substantial changes in the DIY sector
- IKEA’s planning studios are a shift in strategy for this major furniture retailer
- Trade-facing businesses show fast growth
- Shortening lead times and changes to installation services
- Wren and Magnet can design a bespoke kitchen
- Planet-friendly kitchens
- B&Q and Homebase rebrand kitchens
- Pricing strategies
- Social media features ‘real’ kitchens
- John Lewis enters the major refurbishment business
- What the future could hold
Market shares
-
- Wren moved ahead of B&Q in 2018
-
- Figure 29: Share of consumer spending on kitchens, 2018 (est)
- Wren and Howdens forge ahead
-
- Figure 30: Consumer spending on kitchens, change in market share by company, 2014-18
- Leading kitchen retailers – turnover
- Wren Kitchens is the largest specialist
- Wickes interim results for 2019 are very positive
- B&Q sees sales decrease in the first half year of 2019
- Magnet’s turnover +13.4% between 2014-18
- Substantial change in the DIY sector
- Trade-facing businesses show fast growth
-
- Figure 31: Leading kitchen retailers, total company turnover, (excluding VAT), 2014-18
- Leading kitchen retailers – operating profit
- Operating profit rises for some and slumps for others
-
- Figure 32: Leading kitchen retailers, operating profit, 2014-18
- Wide variations in profitability of the leading retailers
-
- Figure 33: Leading kitchen retailers, operating margin, 2014-18
- Howdens reaches almost 700 stores by 2018 and aims for 850
-
- Figure 34: Leading kitchen retailers, store numbers, 2014-18
- Wren’s sales per store growth helped by range expansion and larger stores
-
- Figure 35: Leading kitchen retailers, total sales per store, 2014-18
- Smaller kitchen retailers
- Slowing growth after 2017
-
- Figure 36: Selected kitchen specialists, turnover (excluding VAT), 2014-18
- 2017 a poor year for profit
-
- Figure 37: Selected kitchen specialists, operating profit, 2014-18
- Operating margins under pressure
-
- Figure 38: Selected kitchen specialists, operating margin, 2014-18
- Hammonds has the most stores
-
- Figure 39: Selected kitchen specialists, store numbers, 2014-18
- Low growth in turnover per outlet
-
- Figure 40: Selected kitchen specialists, turnover per store (excluding VAT), 2014-18
Competitive Strategies
-
- Shortening lead times and changes to installation services
- The bespoke kitchen
- Planet-friendly kitchens
- Own label appliances
- New branding strategies
- Pricing strategies
- Social media features ‘real’ kitchens
- Catering for compact kitchens
- Catering for changing kitchen trends
Launch Activity and Innovation
-
- Design studio for customising IKEA kitchens
-
- Figure 41: Holte design studio, London, 2019
- New high-end kitchen collaboration between Heals and Lux Group
-
- Figure 42: Lux Group, Brookmans for Heal’s, November 2019
- John Lewis expands home services capabilities
- Rent instead of buying
- Rethinking storage
-
- Figure 43: Pegboard storage by Handwerk, 2019
- Kitchens for tiny spaces
-
- Figure 44: Sanwa, kitchens for micro-living, 2019
- Shared living in micro-apartments
-
- Figure 45: The Collective, shared living, 2019
Advertising and Marketing Activity
-
- High level of advertising activity for kitchens
-
- Figure 46: Total above-the line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on kitchens, 2015-18
- Retailers dominate the top advertisers
-
- Figure 47: Top ten advertisers, kitchens, 2015-18
- Wren, Wickes and IKEA dominate 2019 advertising
-
- Figure 48: Top ten advertisers, kitchens, year to August 2019
- Figure 49: Wren Kitchens, image showing the delivery stage of a Wren Kitchen, 2018
- New agencies appointed in 2019
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
-
- 23% of homes have a utility room
- 60% of kitchens have at least some built-in appliances
- Open plan living means kitchens are a hub for households
- 22% of kitchens refitted in the last three years
- 67% of kitchen refits created larger kitchens
- IKEA and B&Q stand out as the most-shopped kitchen retailers
- Kitchen shoppers are influenced by price, knowledgeable planners and fitting services
- Purchasers prioritise storage, work surfaces, design accents and a tailored appearance
- Non-buyers are slightly more focused on improving storage
- The ideal kitchen is spacious, simple and stylish
Kitchens and Utility Rooms in the UK's Homes
-
- 23% of homes have a utility room
-
- Figure 50: Kitchens and utility rooms in the UK's homes, September 2019
Built-in or Freestanding Appliances
-
- 60% of kitchens have at least some built-in appliances
-
- Figure 51: Type of appliances in kitchens, September 2019
- Drop in popularity for freestanding appliances
-
- Figure 52: Type of appliances in kitchens, July 2013 and September 2019
- Younger households are most likely to have all built-in appliances
-
- Figure 53: Type of appliances in kitchens, by age group, September 2019
- 38% of outright homeowners have fully built-in kitchens
-
- Figure 54: Type of appliances in kitchens, by tenure, September 2019
Layout of the UK's Kitchens
-
- Open plan living is widespread
-
- Figure 55: Description of kitchen and dining areas, September 2019
Kitchen and Utility Room Refits and Repairs
-
- One in five kitchens refitted in the last three years
-
- Figure 56: Kitchen and utility room refits and repairs, September 2019
Kitchen Extensions
-
- 67% of kitchen refits created larger kitchens
-
- Figure 57: Kitchen extensions and knock through, September 2019
Retailers Where Households Spent Most for Kitchens
-
- IKEA and B&Q stand out as the most-shopped kitchen retailers
- Why IKEA is moving ahead
- B&Q has closed stores and stopped fitting services
- Plenty of other changes shape the retail landscape
-
- Figure 58: Retailers where households spent most for kitchens bought in the last three years, selected companies, September 2018-19
Factors that Influence Choice of Retailer
-
- Kitchen shoppers are influenced by price, knowledgeable planners and fitting services
-
- Figure 59: Factors that influenced choice of retailer, September 2018
- Non-buyers are slightly more focused on price
-
- Figure 60: Factors that would influence choice of retailer (non-buyers), September 2019
Priorities for Kitchens
-
- Storage please
- Creating more work surfaces
- Design touches
- Appliances are a big part of the process
-
- Figure 61: Priorities for kitchen refits, September 2019
- Non-buyers are slightly more focused on improving storage
-
- Figure 62: Priorities for kitchens and utility rooms, non-buyers, September 2019
The Ideal Kitchen
-
- The ideal kitchen is spacious, simple and stylish
-
- Figure 63: Descriptions of the ideal kitchen, September 2019
- Younger households seek more uniqueness
-
- Figure 64: Descriptions of the ideal kitchen, by age band, September 2019
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
-
- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
Appendix – Market Size and Forecast
-
- Forecast methodology
Back to top