Interview: Franchise showrooms are key to our growth strategy, says Nolte Küchen UK MD

Chris Rushby, MD of Nolte Küchen UK, talks to Nicola Hanley about the company’s new multi-channel approach and how its franchise model can also benefit independent retailers.

For over 40 years, German kitchen manufacturer Nolte Küchen has primarily focused on growing its retail business in the UK through independent showrooms. It’s a business model that has, says UK MD Chris Rushby, who joined the company 7 years ago, proven very successful.

However, 5 years ago the brand opened its own showrooms. The move was part of Nolte’s ‘ongoing investment into the UK market’ and followed on from the acquisition of In-toto and The Kitchen Group in 2021.

“We took the decision that we wanted to own our route to market instead of relying solely on independent retailers, which is still a very valuable channel for us,” says Rushby. “So where we felt we were struggling for coverage or brand presence, we took the decision to acquire our own retail sites.

“And for the last 5 years we’ve been refining that model and improving the customer experience through the showrooms, redesigning and creating a brand and a look and feel for the product that we feel is appropriate for the customer base that we’re also trying to attract through the independent sector.”

Currently the company has 12 wholly owned showrooms (down from 15) and Nolte has invested in building its brand identity. “It’s benefitted ourselves because we have our own showrooms, but also the independents because the brand has become more present in the market,” Rushby says. “We are spending a significant amount of money to drive customers to our own showrooms and it has a knock on effect for independent showrooms as well.”

As part of taking more control of its route to market, last year Nolte began integrating more franchise showrooms into its operation, with Bath, Richmond and Henley-on-Thames all opening their doors. “We have 9 franchise partners currently signed and we’re continuing to develop that route to market quite aggressively, sitting alongside independents,” Rushby continues. “We haven’t forgotten the independent retail market and we don’t want to forget the independents. They are very valuable to us and we have longstanding, successful partnerships with them and we continue to open and develop that route to market. But at the same time this is something new for us that we’re pushing quite hard.”

Ultimately Rushby is aiming to open around 50-100 franchise showrooms and is targeting 10-15 a year. “Anything from around 50-100 is a major success for us because they’re all highly profitable. They’re profitable for the franchise partners and they make sense to us from a UK point of view. It’s good for Germany too because it means we’re putting more kitchens through.”

The company, Rushby says, is strategically going after areas of the country where Nolte doesn’t currently have a presence. “We’re not looking to place franchise showrooms on the doorsteps of existing businesses because we respect they’ve developed, worked and invested in their showrooms so there is a level of exclusivity around existing businesses that we wouldn’t want to impact on.”

Independents also remain key to Nolte’s UK operation, Rushby stresses, and he is keen to build on his network of approximately 120 dealers. KBB Birmingham in March was very successful and they took on a number of retailers off the back of the show. “Our like-for-like sales are pretty flat but our new business is performing very well,” he continues. “The first quarter of 2026 was challenging but since then we’ve had good sales and we’re double digits up and that’s been driven by new locations in the independent and franchise areas of the business.”

Contracts make up a significant part of Notle’s UK operation and Rushby says that side is also performing well. In 2024 Nolte acquired BKNC, a contracts kitchen installation business that it had shares in, and created Nolte Contracts, which has been integrated into the wider Nolte UK business. “Contracts is very important for us and this year has been more successful than last. We are finding sales of new properties are slowing down, which can slow down developments. So where we might be expecting a project to begin in April or May, it’s actually starting in August or September.”

Product wise, Rushby says independent and franchise partners can expect new doors to become available in the coming months, following their launch at this year’s Hausmesse, which began on 19th September. The company also unveiled its own line of built-in kitchen appliances, quartz composite sinks and faucets for the first time. In a statement, Heiko Maibach, MD of marketing & sales at Nolte Küchen, says: “We’re creating an attractive additional offering for our retail partners and, with it, new selling points. At the same time, we’re strengthening the Nolte brand beyond furniture and making it visible at additional relevant touch points for end consumers.

“In the future, our customers will receive everything from a single source – with a single point of contact and consolidated delivery – when they choose Nolte appliances and the sink area to complement their furniture. At the same time, they can be confident that the private-label products are perfectly tailored to Nolte kitchens.”

Maibach’s comments echo Rushby’s multichannel strategy for the UK market, too. “At heart we are a manufacturing business,” he says. “But looking forward, the multiples are getting bigger, they’re getting more powerful and for us to have a presence and that consistency of supply going back in, we felt we needed to own our route to market. It’s not a vanity project. We just wanted to control as much as we could for greater security.”