Optimistic MHK UK members report a strong start to 2026

MHK UK members have revealed they believe the outlook is good and have experienced a strong start to the year so far. The buying group has welcomed insight from retail and supplier members ahead of its 2026 AGM in Berlin later this month.

Tom Baldwin, owner of Signature Projects and Paragon Designs said: “January has been one of our best months on record and this partly due to lead times from suppliers becoming shorter allowing projects to complete sooner. It’s very easy to get swept up in the doom and gloom, but we have seen an increase in projects.”

Paul Wheeler, founder of Kitchen Lifestyle, echoed this sentiment: “Last year was a challenging year for many, but 2026 is a different story. We have invested more heavily in lead generation across our 2 showrooms which is hugely important right now to stay competitive. We’ve already noticed a difference and the pipeline is looking strong.”

Adam Presch, sales manager at Bauformat, offered insight from the supplier’s perspective: “At the end of last year we successfully welcomed our first 2 MHK showroom members into our new ‘light’ franchise model – #kitchenfamily. These retailers quickly recognised the distinct advantages of maintaining their independent status while simultaneously benefiting from access to a trusted brand. The arrangement allows them to strengthen their competitive position without sacrificing their individual identity, customer relationships, or local market autonomy. We are very optimistic that more retailer partners will want to sign up to this new way of franchising that has many benefits in the coming months.”

David Morris, sales director at MHK UK, said: “Feedback from our members is that this has been one of the strongest starts to a year since 2022. Last year’s focus for MHK was promoting financial empowerment for retailers and this will continue in force in 2026. When talking about financial empowerment we often mean cash flow and this is typically the first conversation we have with all prospective members – how can we improve cash flow to give you breathing space.”

The positive outlook from members comes ahead of MHK’s European AGM later this month. Thousands of members will visit MHK’s 'living and style' fair where more than 100 industry suppliers such as AEG, Schüller and Ballerina will exhibit under one roof. Many of these big-name brands will have special sales incentives exclusively for MHK members to support them in remaining competitive in today’s market. 

“We have always emphasised that the bigger we are in Europe, the stronger we are to support our UK members. The presence of so many major suppliers is testament to our relationships. In fact, MHK continues to offer the largest supplier portfolio from a buying group in the UK with over 60 to choose from,” added David Morris.

In addition to its flagship AGM event in Berlin, MHK will also organise a number of events in collaboration with partners including a major Electrolux event during EuroCucina in April. The focus on international events is one of its key differentiators, showcasing the strength of its European network which aids 'cross border' relationships building between supplier and retailer members.