Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Housewares and tabletop suppliers will be given priority in the new Cranmore Place permanent showroom facilities opening in Solihull in September.
The new showroom is owned by AIS but, according to housewares/gifts controller David Parkes, it will operate completely separately.
“It will have its own reception and be totally self contained – AIS won’t even have a presence in there,” he told HousewaresLive.net. He said that the facility could probably house between 25 and 30 housewares companies in total, and that they did not have to be AIS suppliers.
Cranmore Place will offer lockable, enclosed showrooms of between 500 and 1,500 sq feet, with access 52 weeks of the year.
Parkes explained: “If a customer comes in, and the company gives us permission, one of the receptionists will take them round; otherwise we’ll get an enquiry form and send it on to the company. The whole idea is to make it user friendly.”
He added that the facility would be “very cost-effective, and will in the end have its own restaurant. Everyone we’ve taken around has been amazed at the quality of what we’ve done.”
Cranmore Place is only a two-minute walk from the AIS main building so exhibitors will also potentially benefit from the visitors to the various AIS shows held throughout the year. In addition, the NEC is just 15 minutes away.
Any queries should initially be directed to David Parkes on 0121 683 1432.
