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A new website selling kitchenware and tabletop lines has proved to be an instant success, according to its owners.
The site, thecookfactory.com, was launched last month and claims to be “a one-stop-shop for everything you need for cooking and dining”.
The Birmingham-based family business was set up by Sandip Sohal, a solicitor in a multinational law firm, and his wife Rasneet, also a lawyer. The Cook Factory is a first in retail for the family.
Sandip Sohal told HousewaresLive.net that both he and his wife had an interest in cookware and anything kitchen and dining, and that they had “set up The Cook Factory after discovering how expensive it is to entertain and set up a brand new kitchen, as we recently experienced with our new home. The mark-up on kitchen and dining products by the likes of John Lewis is ridiculous. We’re here to make money, but offer value and honesty to customers.”
He went on: “The Cook Factory launched in the second week of December, and with some helpful optimising in Google it has been an instant hit. We’ve already produced our own 12-piece dinner set, and there is more to come. The dinner set is selling well, and each plate is branded with our logo so the message reaches far and wide. ”
Sohal said that despite the recession this had been a good time for the launch. “In the past, the public would only buy from trusted and established names, which made it difficult for newcomers. Now, the country is at a stage where people don’t care about where they buy home essentials, so long as they receive a good service, and every aspect of the customer journey – from ordering from the website, to execution of the order and delivery of the product to their home – is seamless.”
The Sohals are now working on a complementary venture, TCF Commercial, which will supply bars, hotels and restaurants.
They also hope to launch physical premises for the business “once we can prove that our business model and the brand can work. I have contacts with the Bullring in Birmingham, and we may be testing the concept towards the end of this year with having a stall in the centre,” said Sohal.
