Firm bucks the trend and courts success

May 6 2008 by Sue Scott, Evening Gazette

A FAMILY-RUN business in Stockton has unveiled a new £200,000 showroom to meet the ever-growing demand of its customers.

Court Homemakers has spent the past two months redesigning and refurbishing its kitchen, bathroom and bedroom showroom at its Portrack Lane factory and retail outlet.

The work has seen 20 new kitchen displays added to the 3,500sq ft showroom, which now has 42 kitchen layouts, 20 bathrooms and 10 bedrooms.

All the installations are hand-built by Court Homemakers, which employs 30 staff, using the latest components from carefully-selected suppliers around the world.

“We showcase the very latest in design, style and technology in order to maintain our position as the UK’s largest independent retailer of fitted kitchens manufactured under one roof,” said Ian Goodwillie, director of Court Homemakers, at a showroom launch attended by 200 guests.

“As the showroom neared completion over the past fortnight we have enjoyed a significantly improved number of visitors and sales, nearing record levels.

“People are quick to talk down the economy and instill a sense of gloom and crisis, but we have always bucked trends and our investment in the new showroom, with alterations having a retail value in excess of £200,000, will, I am sure, see us once again achieve our objective of improving trading over the previous year.

“The North-east and Tees Valley in particular is in an ideal position to overcome the financial anxiety that is gripping other parts of the country because our local economy is resilient to the fluctuations that create boom and bust elsewhere.

“People are being more cautious, no doubt, but our recent performance shows that householders in the North-east are still confident about investing in improvements that will, almost certainly, pay back handsomely in improving the quality of living and in resale value.”

The showroom opening included a cookery demonstration by Siemens using the company’s latest self-cleaning ovens and the revolutionary induction hob.

Court Homemakers was founded by Ian and his wife, Ann, who is managing director, 19 years ago from a premises at Brunswick Street, Stockton.

The firm moved to its current site in Portrack Lane 12 years ago.