Ear to the Ground – with Kevin Cashmore, National Sales Manager
National Sales Manager Kevin Cashmore shares his thoughts for our latest Ear to the Ground blog. Kevin joined us earlier this summer from Blackheath Products Ltd, where he was Senior Business Development Manager for 10 years, reuniting with long-time colleague and friend Gareth Evans, our deputy MD.
So, Kevin how are you settling in at HPP?
“It’s been a hectic induction period including all the departments HPP encompasses in its 200,000 square feet ‘village’, shall we say.“I’ve met some really good people with good focus, who want to be the best, which is good to hear.
“We’ve made some changes, bringing in new systems for internal reporting and communications. If we’re better at communicating internally that will naturally extend externally to the customers but will also build team spirit.
“It’s about good communication between the external and internal teams too. We all work as one and we’ve introduced a buddy system when every external salesperson has a dedicated internal contact, so they can build and develop their customer base between them.
“And we’re just introducing a new WhatsApp on tap for HPP, so customers can contact us through WhatsApp – we’ve got three designated staff to respond to any WhatsApp questions that come through or help that’s needed.
“We’ve got a great team; it’s just been about adding some fine tuning.”
Tell us about MERIVOBOX – the new drawer system from Blum
“MERIVOBOX means we’re offering a product that’s closer to the top end of the range in quality but not far off the lower end of the range in price.
“For the next three months, we’re going to be price matching some MERIVOBOX products with Blum’s ANTARO, which means people can make the switch and upgrade without any extra cost.
“It’s an important product for us, especially as Blum is our brand partner, and don’t forget Blum products all have lifetime guarantees.
“You can’t always have the best quality and the best price. Sometimes you’ve got to find that middle ground and I think that’s where MERIVOBOX works. You’ve got all the assurances that come with the Blum brand, plus it’s at a cost that a lot of people can work with.”
What’s going on in the industry at the moment?
“If you break it down by sector, kitchens are still struggling but having said that, we’re starting to see some green shoots coming through. So, I still fully expect the rest of 2025 to be tough and then get stronger in 2026.
“A big factor will be house building. Hopefully, we’ll see an increase in house building and we’ll see an increase in people moving house.
“Product and installation costs went up dramatically for various reasons, but I think they’ve now started to wane a little bit, so I think we’re getting to a place where people are actually looking at projects and thinking we can afford that now.
“Bathrooms have always been quite buoyant and remain so and it’s similar for bedrooms, which is great for our Glide sliding door system, which is getting a lot of enquires.
“Don’t forget, there’s often a struggle for space in new houses and that’s certainly where the Glide system comes into its own because you can get a lot of storage without losing space in the room that you do with hinged doors.
“I think Glide sliding doors, and the frameless version, will both do very well in 2026.”
“It seems to be that people want deeper textures on doors and other surfaces.
“We’ve seen good growth in kitchen worktops, so we’ve decided to go with the whole Kronospan Finesse range, probably in the autumn, after dipping our toe in the water.
“Green is still very popular, which ties in with some 70s colours trying to make a comeback – which is great if you don’t remember them from the 70s!
“Our Fineflex décor, which has a shimmer in it so you can always see different colours, is popular too.
“At the end of the day, though, when it comes to people spending money, they often stay traditional, so we still see the greys, whites and blacks working for all environments – kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms.
“Chrome is popular at the moment and there’s a lot of mirrored doors, a trend that’s good for Glide.”
Is there anything you can share with our customers?
“One of the things we’re looking at quite seriously now is flooring. There are a lot of people out there who fit kitchens, bathrooms, and bedrooms and also do the flooring. It’s an untapped market for us and by adding a completely new product range it only strengthens our one-stop-shop status!”