Europe’s largest kitchen and bathroom buying group for independent kitchen specialists, DER KREIS, actively promotes young talent in the kitchen industry. In 2009, a foundation was set up to recruit, and excite young people into the specialist kitchen and design industry¹.

Together with kitchen specialists and partners from the kitchen industry, the foundation initiates and encourages study projects at universities and colleges that focus on the kitchen, and all of its facets. The most recent study was designed to discover more about the ideas and needs of consumers and connect them with the kitchen living space.

Students of health sciences at Furtwangen University², Germany, surveyed young people, aged 19-29, asking a variety of questions, including ‘What will tomorrow’s kitchen look like?’ The results were presented at the LivingKitchen exhibition in Cologne, January 2017.

The survey revealed that 89 per cent of those surveyed regarded the kitchen as either important, or very important, and the most significant findings were that young people liked to use fresh fruit and vegetables, good quality food, and enjoy being together with their loved ones whilst cooking.

The research also revealed that the most desired kitchens were the family kitchen and the high-tech kitchen.  Female respondents (69 per cent) further reported that having a kitchen suitable for children was important, and over half of the women surveyed were interested in having smart appliances. The analysis also showed that there is a growing trend to integrate the kitchen with the garden.

The results of the survey were analysed, in cooperation with students who studied design and art³, who recognised that there is no other room like the kitchen, where individuality of design is more important than any other room. There is not just one kitchen of tomorrow, but many different designs, depending on an individual’s lifestyle. This resulted in four different types of cook with a kitchen to suit each.

The results of the study revealed:

Bio-cooks

• Friends and family are more important that status and stress
• The most important component when cooking is organic, fresh and locally grown fruit and vegetables
• Cooking and the kitchen are both regarded as something special
• Quality and aesthetics in the kitchen are valued

Casual cook

• Professional and social life regarded as more important than cooking
• They eat high-quality, ready-to-eat and take-away meals when convenient, as they are rarely at home
• The most important thing when cooking is to be full at the end
• The kitchen doesn’t take high priority; it must be flexible and mobile and they are quite happy to eat on the sofa

Pleasure cook

• Like to cook with company; cooking is a hobby and a part of relaxation
• The kitchen is at the centre of the living space
• They are individualists and tech-savvy
• Freshness, quality and authenticity of products are highly important
• Passionate about design; they are perfectionists and prefer a high-tech kitchen

Clever cook

• The kitchen demands smart management; they are organised and they think in a structured manner
• The kitchen must be ergonomically designed
• Shopping, preparation and dining must be coordinated
• Prepares light, low fat and nutritious meals; cooks regularly for the family
• Likes solutions tailored towards eating habits

Bill Miller, Managing Director, KBBG, part of DER KREIS, says: “It is important to understand what aspects of the kitchen are important to young people, to create a more knowledgeable and creative industry, and raise professional standards.

The study unearthed some very interesting results. It wasn’t surprising to see that high-tech kitchens are increasingly popular, and it was good to note that family kitchens are still of high importance. The integrated kitchen and garden result is also an interesting outcome, certainly something for retailers to keep on the agenda.”

For more information on the opportunities KBBG can offer the independent kitchen specialist retailer, call Bill Miller, Managing Director on 02382 021347, email b.miller@derkries.co.uk or visit the website at www.kbbg.co.uk

Ends

Image caption:

Bill Miller, Managing Director, KBBG

Notes for editors:

¹ Ernst-Martin Schaible, DER KREIS, is Managing Partner and the founder of the DER KREIS ANJA SCHAIBLE foundation

² Students from Furtwangen University, Germany

³ Students from Wismar College, Germany

The Foundation:

The DER KREIS ANJA SCHAIBLE STIFTUNG was founded in 2009 by Ernst-Martin Schaible, Managing Partner of DER KREIS, to make kitchens part of the interior architecture course – a subject that had previously been neglected. The foundation’s commitment generates well-educated new entrants to the kitchen industry, and overall helps to implement young people’s innovative ideas about the kitchen of the future.

About KBBG:

The Kitchen Bathroom Buying Group UK is an organisation set up to support the business of the independent kitchen specialist. Part of the renowned DER KREIS, Europe’s leading kitchen and bathroom buying group, the company has over thirty five years’ experience and a turnover in excess of 3.1 billion Euros. Currently operating in nine countries with over 2,800 members, the group provides a range of exclusive tailored benefits and services to support and increase the success of each independent kitchen specialist in an effort to stay ahead of the competition and to promote the success of individual businesses.

For further press information and/or images please contact:

Tessa at jmm PR

E: tessa@jmmpr.co.uk

T: 01536 414555

6^th April 2017