Kitchen Companies

[Trishaa<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"><EM>Trisha<EM><FONT><P><P><IMG height=198 src="http:www.gifmania.co.ukDisneyWinniejpoohlef.gif" width=133><P><P> <P>]

England is littered with Kitchen Companies, from the big boys like B&Q, MFI and Homebase to the smaller independent stores, but here in France they seem to be sparse. 

Can anyone recommend a company in a radius of Nevers/Moulins or Decize??  Or would you recommend buying in the UK?

Trisha

[BJSLIV]

Any retail park/ hypermarket  cluster is usually littered with kitchen companies such as Cuisine Schmidt, Cuisenella, Hygena (Yes its MFI France!), Ixina, mobalpa , vogica......

Then there are the smaller "cuisinistes" .

Then the bid DIY sheds   castorama, leroymerlin, or if you are an a budget brico-depot.

I have seen very acceptable results from a DiY job form BricoDepot.

Try searching www.pagesjaunes.fr for your area.

I can personally recommend Ixina, but they are very patchy in their coverage. I think opening one of their franchises might be a good idea in some parts of France.

[Graham & Brenda]

I bought our Hygena units in MFI and brought it over as their silly sale price was far cheaper than Hygena over here for the same units. However, I had time to check all the contents carefully before I left the UK - of course there were no problems because I checked! Also you have to consider transportation costs - if you can bung it on an existing load at no extra cost, fine. Otherwise it will eat into any savings. Don't forget the packages are heavy - esp. the worktops.

Graham

[Val_2]

We often recommend Hygena here in France. The quality is better here so that artisans can give a 10year guarantee and if you are missing anything it is far easier to obtain. Also we find that you usually have to wait until the complete order has arrived before taking it away so there is no afterwards confusion. Why pay to transport something from the Uk when you should be putting your money into the French economy if you own property here.

[Trishaa<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"><EM>Trisha<EM><FONT><P><P><IMG height=198 src="http:www.gifmania.co.ukDisneyWinniejpoohlef.gif" width=133><P><P> <P>]

We must be going around with our eyes shut - thanks for all the names of the companies  

We didn't fancy transporting UK units and we do believe in supporting the French economy where we can.  I would like granite worktops so I'm hoping that they will be easy to purchase - do the French use grantite in kitchens very often?

[Fritz]

Have just had one installed.

Tips would be:

1) Check every detail of their quote.

2) Push for at least a 20% discount. You'll find they bump up the price big time.

3) Only pay 10% deposit. Fight, but give way and pay 50% on delivery. Do not pay balance till you've had it working for a couple of days.

4) They'll say they will do everything - moving switches, plumbing, lights, etc, but you'll invariably get a plumbers hiss from the fitter, who is usually sub-contacted and knows nothing about what you agreed with the suppliers.

5) Watch them continually.

6) Make sure they clean up afterwards.

 

Overall UK kitchens are better quality and fitters more competent. It's a French thing; they're happy with wires, pipes, etc, all on show, no-one else is so watch, watch and bitch. 

 

[Bobc]

"Can anyone recommend a company in a radius of Nevers/Moulins or Decize?? Or would you recommend buying in the UK?"

Lapeyre - www.lapeyre.fr have outlets in all areas of France. Whilst not the lowest priced units around, they are of very high quality. Their Fronsac and Agora unfinished oak units are very good value and can be finished yourself with wood/oil, paint, etc. Avoid the factory varnish finishes which are impossible if damaged.

Lapeyre use top quality Blum door hinges and full-extension drawer runners unlike most other companies.

They also have a network of installers who will carry out the work at 5,5% TVA (if your property qualifies) rather than the 19,6% you will pay if you buy the units yourself.

Regards,

Bob Clarke

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/grindoux

[Bobc]

 "Have just had one installed.

Tips would be:

1) Check every detail of their quote.

2) Push for at least a 20% discount. You'll find they bump up the price big time.

3) Only pay 10% deposit. Fight, but give way and pay 50% on delivery. Do not pay balance till you've had it working for a couple of days.

4) They'll say they will do everything - moving switches, plumbing, lights, etc, but you'll invariably get a plumbers hiss from the fitter, who is usually sub-contacted and knows nothing about what you agreed with the suppliers.

5) Watch them continually.

6) Make sure they clean up afterwards.

 

Overall UK kitchens are better quality and fitters more competent. It's a French thing; they're happy with wires, pipes, etc, all on show, no-one else is so watch, watch and bitch. "

1) Good advice as with any devis.

2) A 20% discount based upon what? Most decent kitchen suppliers have listed prices for their products. Who do they 'bump up' the prices for? If you are not happy with the price then you can go elsewhere.

3) You will have to agree with whatever the terms are of the supplier that you choose to go with. Most decent kitchen installers in France have more than enough work without haggling over the small print. If you are ordering a new kitchen that is being ordered for you then it is reasonable that you should pay for the cost of the units, appliances, tiling, etc, with your order. Again, if you are not happy with this then you can go elsewhere.

4) You need to agree a detailed devis with your kitchen supplier which includes all related work within the overall cost - if he is going to sub-contract this work - you then only have one person to go back to.

5) Not likely to endear yourself to any artisans.

6) From experience, the French artisans that I work with are far better at clearing up at the end of the day than any in the UK.

"Overall UK kitchens are better quality and fitters more compentant" A bit of a sweeping statement. What are you comparing - MFI to Lapeyre to Mark Wilkinson?

Good quality French kitchens such as Lapeyre, Espalux, Arthur Bonnet, etc are far better than the popular makes in the UK. As for the fitters - I do not understand your comments about wires and pipes being on show.

Other installers that I have worked with have very high standards for the finished job.

Possibly you have had a bad experience on an individual job.

Regards,

Bob Clarke
htp://perso.wanadoo.fr/grindoux

[sueinbushey]

Our family is hoping to re-locate to Dordogne at the end of this year. My husband has been in the Kitchen industry in the UK for the past 18 years. He has worked as a kitchen installer, fitting a wide range of manufacturers but generally concentrating on the top end of the market e.g. Poggenpohl. He has worked as an Installation Manager for the past 5 years. We were just wondering how difficult/easy would it be for him to get work as an installer for one of the kitchen companies - as is often the case with this trade, he has no qualifications on paper but a wealth of experience and expertise. He would be able to bring letters of recommendation and photos of past work. Any advice or comments would be appreciated.

[Fritz]

Quote :

"Possibly you have had a bad experience on an individual job.

Regards,

Bob Clarke

htp://perso.wanadoo.fr/grindoux"

Not being an expert in all things French all I can do is relate my own experiences. I've had two kitchen installed by French companies in the last 6 months and one in a UK property by Wickes. The Wickes deal was half the price, twice the quality and delivered as agreed. Which didn't happen in France.

But I suppose I just didn't know how to deal with the French, like some of our more knowledgeable and clearly fluent French speaking posters, who do. Je me trompe.