Discover what you can expect from Independent kitchen showrooms compared to high street showrooms.
Before you choose to buy your new kitchen from a high street retailer or an independent kitchen showroom, it’s a good idea to know what you can expect in terms of design, quality, product for your money, and what costs may be involved. Luckily, you can read about all of these in detail, in our post below.
Kitchen Design
One of the major areas in which independent kitchen showrooms differ from high street showrooms is design.
When using an independent kitchen showroom you can expect:
- An emphasis on your requirements – Your needs matter, and you can expect them to be listened to and acted on.
- Expertise – independent kitchen showrooms don’t tend to work on standardized designs and so they have much broader experience on which to draw
- A better customer experience – Independent kitchen showrooms are more likely to take time over your design, allowing you to make changes or revisions before signing off. They are also less likely to rush you through the process.
When using a high street showroom you can expect:
- A more standardized design – designs are standardized to make sure they are easy and fast to explain and make.
- Limited communication with the designers – You may not have much access to your designer at all.
- A more basic customer experience – The focus is less on meeting every recruitment of the customer, and more about getting as many kitchens sold and built as possible.
Costs
Costs will indeed differ between a high street showroom, and an independent kitchen showroom. But before you make a snap judgment, be sure that you fully understand what is and is not included.
When using an independent kitchen showroom you can expect:
- Fitting to be included in the price – You get one price that includes everything, including fitting.
- Finance packages – Independent kitchen showrooms are more likely to offer finance packages making your kitchen more affordable.
- Less pressure to buy then and there – Independent kitchen showrooms are a little more laid back in their approach. They are unlikely to pressure you to sign on the dotted line on your first visit and are more interested in making sure they properly meet your needs. Something that means you are more likely to get the kitchen that you want, as opposed to the one that the showroom wants to sell more of that week.
When using a high street showroom you can expect:
Huge ticket discounts – High street showrooms love to use massive markdowns on original price tickets to attract customers in and get them through the door. However, it is vital to check that all is as it seems here, as prices may have initially been inflated, or you may not all get all the features of the kitchen on show.
- Added fitting costs – Another area that you need to be mindful of when it comes to high street kitchen showrooms is whether the costs of installing the kitchen are included or added on at the end. Indeed, a great deal can soon end up being more expensive, once you have added these fees to the calculation.
- On-the-spot deals – Last of all, in a high street showroom you can expect more on-the-spot deals. These are often used to get customers to sign on the dotted line that same day. Which could mean you are missing out on better options elsewhere.
Quality
When using an independent kitchen showroom you can expect:
- Lasting quality – Quality is the foundation on which everything else is built when it comes to independent kitchen showrooms. The reason is that they have the expertise, experience, and connections with suppliers to make sure you get the very best product for your money.
When using high street showrooms you can expect:
- On-trend looks – High street showrooms excel at offering the latest trends and styles of kitchens. However, customers often find that it’s a case of style over substance, and such kitchens wear and begin to look old much faster.
Product
When using an independent kitchen showroom you can expect:
- Better finishes – Due to processes like material and colour matching, you can expect a better overall finish
- Higher quality – Independent showrooms tend to pride themselves on the quality of their cabinets, ensuring they are built more robustly from higher grades of wood.
- More choice – Independent showrooms have access to a wide range of cabinets, accessories, and finishes. This means no matter what your budget you will find something that you love.
- When using a high street showroom you can expect:
When using a high street kitchen showroom you can expect:
- Standard cabinets – they tend to have a single type of cabinet, with 5 or 6 door finishes.
- Limited choice – You may also find that there is less choice when it comes to finishes and accessories. Although, in offering a range of colours, high street showrooms do well.