Parliamentary Review

• Directors John Shaw (Founder) and Peter Shaw.
• Established 1983
• Kitchen Studios at:
  • Cheshire Oaks Outlet Village
  • Bebington/Port Sunlight, Wirral
  • Duddon, Cheshire
• Services: personalised kitchen design and installation including extensions/structural work etc.
• Design: award winning designer
• of employees/subcontractors: 27
• Absolutely no sales or pressure to purchase sets us aside from our competitors
• KBSA Kitchen Bathroom & Bedroom Specialists Association Reg No. 3/2425/R-FU

Founded in 1983 by John and Terry Shaw, Mayfair Kitchen Studio is the “perfect blend” of architectural design and craftsmanship expertise. John tells The Parliamentary Review that the firm set out to supply quality kitchens from day one, and that Mayfair would never compromise on quality. According to John, this philosophy spans from the beginning of the process all the way through to installation.

To ensure client confidence we decided to provide a unique guarantee, and one sentence said it all – “Your kitchen and all items installed, including appliances, will be guaranteed for five years.”

We have had to answer to every client for five years and we are still doing so today. We believe this is the only guarantee in the UK that is one hundred percent unconditional. We also have a second guarantee, provided by the KBSA, the national body overseeing quality kitchen outlets, which monitors our completed installations and guarantees our clients’ deposits.

Our first showroom, at Bebington and Port Sunlight, relied heavily upon local clients. In time we branched out into Cheshire, Lancashire, and North Wales. Today we cover England, Scotland and Ireland, and commissions have also been completed in Dubai and France.

With experience it is possible to identify the early signs of a coming recession. We gauge telephone calls, e-mails and foot traffic to our showroom, all of which diminish in times of economic constraint. We have kept records of our visitor
numbers, monthly purchases and more since opening in 1983, and they suggest that in difficult periods, people make more substantial investments such as kitchens and cars. When a recession does begin, we have always tried to abide by the following guidelines:

• show calmness and self-confidence to clients; the use of humour is recommended. Be a human being not a salesperson.
• after a home survey, invite potential clients to the showroom to view designs and costs. Surprise clients with a second design. This shows clients your thoroughness and commitment.
• try to become friends with your clients in a genuine way.
• keep your staff in touch with the situation and provide assurances that everyone will get through the downturn.
• hold regular cookery demonstrations for potential and previous clients, who may bring a friend along. Saturdays, Sundays and early summer evenings are the most suitable and successful.
• speak to your bank manager and discuss your plans. Look into any potential cost savings.
• write to your previous clients to remind them what’s left on the guarantee period for their kitchen. Ask if they have any issues that you can help them with.

To ensure steady growth we aim to establish the Mayfair name as the place to shop. We are doubling the floor area of our showroom at junction ten of the M53 Cheshire Oaks Outlet Village and adding a mezzanine floor. The incorporation of a soft-furnished area for clients to relax and view onscreen information about Mayfair will be an asset.

Clients are made aware of the lowkey sales approach which has been the basis of our progress. Over the last 36 years, £39 million worth of kitchens at today’s value has been purchased by our clients, not sold to them.

Excellence in installation is one of the key factors influencing our future prosperity. Recommendations are the bedrock of our company, and our senior fitters Steve Vaughan and Edwin Smith have been a big asset with their empathetic approach to our clients.

Google Reviews are highly important. We believe our bank of reviews is amongst the best, and can be visited by prospective clients. We always mention to clients that we would like them to purchase, but if not, we wish them well with their project.
We believe that nice people know nice people, and that recommendations will develop into a network for the future. The need to advertise will be minimised and we will be stronger in the face of recessions.

During the installation, we welcome and encourage the involvement of our clients. They enjoy this approach, and our thorough clean up at the end of each day, inside and out.

After sales, the support we provide during the guarantee period is important. At times, we help clients even after the five years are up. People talk, and this is the best form of advertisement.

Convenience seems to be the key to living in the modern age. Though smart technology may not yet be on everyone’s radar, it is becoming more prominent in everyday lives and is very much part of the future home. Variety and choice for the consumer increase year on year. Clarity of operation is of paramount importance, especially when it comes to smart homes.

Before we know it, we will all be opening our front doors by walking towards them, and we will be able to dim lights just by asking them.

We can imagine a world in which a coffee machine makes your coffee while you are taking your morning shower, where an extractor fan detects and adjusts to aromas and vapours when you pop out of the room for a moment, and where a fridge super cools as you arrive home with fresh groceries.

The future is already happening. We are continuing to invest in technology to keep up with it. The world has changed dramatically since I entered the industry – I grew up with coal fires, while nowadays it is possible to control the heating of a house through your phone.

Our future is a technological one; at the rate technology is progressing it would be bizarre to dismiss the impact, both physically and mentally, this will have on us.

Our new first floor at Cheshire Oaks Outlet Village will be dedicated to the future.