Nolte Kitchens is targeting rapid expansion through the launch of its new franchise model, further to its highly successful entry into direct-to-consumer retail in the UK market.
Building on its longstanding German heritage and strong brand presence with 15 showrooms in premium high-street locations after only launching in the UK in 2021, the ambitious kitchen brand is now offering an exceptional opportunity for franchise partners to team up with a tried-and-tested business with a 65-year history.
The firm has been making home-enhancing, tailor-made kitchens of the highest quality since 1958 – all overseen by the Nolte family. This means Nolte Kitchens franchise partners will be supported by generations of knowledge, craft and innovation to make their franchise a success, as well as being able to promise customers the most German of traits – effectiveness, reliability and efficiency. In fact, Nolte’s ‘Made in Germany’ quality promise is part and parcel of its worldwide success.
Nolte kitchens are made to order and shipped from Germany pre-assembled, saving on installation time, and the brand’s breadth of portfolio allows for complete flexibility, from contemporary handle-less to more traditional, classic shaker style.
Every kitchen ingredient covered
Customers can choose from three class-leading, high-quality collections: Express, Nolte, or the luxury range, Nolteneo. For projects requiring a co-ordinated aesthetic, Nolte offers a range of living and utility furniture.
Creating stunning kitchens is a team effort, and Nolte works with select and highly regarded suppliers that they can trust to make sure every project goes to plan. These include leading brands such as Miele, Caesar Stone, Quooker and Bora, and many more. So, from worktops to appliances, sinks to final fittings, whatever your kitchen budget or desired design, they have every kitchen ingredient covered.
The leading manufacturer of fitted kitchens prides itself on creating kitchens tailored specifically to each customer’s lifestyle, with several extra special features. With beauty in every hidden detail, Nolte’s kitchen fronts are the same colour inside and out, and the Matrix900 provides 20 per cent more storage space over the standard 75cm carcase height. Various planning depths for worktops are available too. The 75cm drawer pull-out not only means more space for working on and storing items, but also 32 per cent more storage space in the cabinets beneath.
Nolte franchise partners will benefit from a business model that generates cash flow quickly, a high gross margin on products (and a high turnover per showroom square metre), even potentially matching Nolte’s top showrooms that turn over more than £1m a year after two years.
Partners can look forward to a realistic three-year turnover of £500k-£2m, with typical first-year running costs of £100k-£125k, and holding little in the way of stock means cash flow is freed up. Very little infrastructure is required, as franchisees will use Nolte’s logistics and warehousing, plus only a few employees are needed per showroom.
An engaging retail space
The Nolte team will help franchisees create an engaging retail space that encourages interest, earns customer trust, and sells the dream of owning a breathtaking kitchen. The brand uses tried-and-tested layouts to make things easy when setting up a showroom but can also be very flexible to accommodate any bespoke requirements or suggestions.
Dedicated teams will help partners find the perfect location, support with the design, build and fit-out of partners’ showrooms and provide support for managing showroom openings and ongoing fit-outs. Upon completion of a franchise contract agreement, new partners will embark on a three-week training programme which is split into two modules.
Module one, a one-week course, will encompass brand and value, franchise partnership, Nolte systems and more while module two, a two-week course, covers topics such as product knowledge, sales, retail excellence and after-sales service. E-learning in between modules will look at areas such as leadership, materials and designers.
Continued support
Partners can expect a high level of continued support from Nolte’s retail teams and designated operations team once up and running; a dedicated order processing team in Germany will be assigned to each account to check and ensure accuracy, and Nolte will provide account management support with third-party suppliers.
The regional retail team will conduct frequent showroom visits and business reviews, in addition to sharing access to all operational tools such as operations manuals, processes and showroom health and safety. Finance and HR advice are also available, covering payroll systems, production of monthly management accounts, ongoing support in recruiting the best candidates, building and maintaining strong employee relations, and improving employee performance.
Partners will have access to all Nolte Kitchens design, operational and CRM systems and software, plus ongoing IT helpdesk assistance. For a small monthly fee, franchisees will benefit from a central marketing function. Nolte uses a host of marketing tools to promote the brand, including digital marketing, print advertising, visual merchandising, and national exhibitions to make the brand a household name.
Brand heritage
The Nolte Küchen brand has been going strong since 1958, and the business plans to make it even stronger in the UK. Franchise partners will play a key role in this success – and enjoy the benefits from it.
With ambitions of being the UK’s biggest and most respected name in the premium kitchen market, after being named Germany’s favourite kitchen brand for five years running, the introduction of Nolte Kitchens’ franchise proposition is set to significantly accelerate the brand’s growth and geographical reach.
The firm will be focusing particularly on finding partners in Leicester, Newcastle and the North East, Leicestershire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, London and South Wales. Meanwhile, Nolte Kitchens will also be opening many more of its own showrooms over the coming few years.
‘Cook with a clear conscience’
Proud to be a climate-neutral company, Nolte makes nearly 900 kitchens every day and exports to over 60 countries. Neutralising its effect on the planet is vitally important to the firm – more than 99 per cent of the wood it uses comes from certified sources, it offsets CO2 emissions by supporting a project in Uruguay where a forest now grows where cattle used to graze, and like its kitchens, its company lighting comes from sustainable LEDs.
On average, its particle boards have 50 per cent recycled material, and Nolte Kitchens keeps a close eye on its 300 suppliers to ensure they’re playing fair with the planet too. For customers, this means owning a kitchen that hasn’t harmed the planet, so they can cook with a clear conscience.
Liz Hall, Head of Sales at Nolte Kitchens UK comments: “We have ambitious growth plans in place that will see us expand from the current 15 showrooms we own and operate in the UK – without compromising our dedication to kitchens that work like a charm, look like a dream and feel like home.”
Liz added, “We anticipate attracting existing single or multi-unit franchise owners or entrepreneurs who will be able to build an organisation and commit to our showroom development plan, with growth mindsets to match our own. Nolte Kitchens franchise partners will ideally have sales and business management skills, be willing to lead, delegate and motivate, and have retail experience.”
franchise@nolte-kitchens.co.uk
www.nolte-kitchens.co.uk/franchise
Posted: 2nd June, 2024