Catering Insight – February 2018

SMEG UK HAS JUST OPENED A COMMERCIAL EQUIPMENT SHOWROOM AND TEST

KITCHEN IN ITS ABINGDON HEADQUARTERS TO ENABLE IT TO HOST DEALER TRAINING

AND BE THE FIRST STEP IN ITS AMBITIOUS PLANS FOR THE FUTURE.

FULL STEAM A-SMEG

L

ooking around the Smeg UK

headquarters in Abingdon,

Oxfordshire, it’s clear that

the manufacturer is setting

its stall out for the future. While the

firm moved to the facility a couple of

years ago, it is only now that the final

puzzle piece of a showroom and test

kitchen has slotted into place.

Commercial channel director Phil

Coulstock explained: “We have been

without a showroom for 18 months or

so now, as for a long period of time we

were involved with our London store

project and the Harrods concession on

the domestic side. We had deadlines

with those, whereas we own our own

building, so they took precedent.”

Adding that the Brexit vote had also

impacted the budget for the project,

Coulstock said: “It was a balance

between doing it right for the brand

but with a sensible budget in mind,

which I think we’ve achieved.” The

resulting facility showcases Smeg’s

warewashers, ovens and its massive

domestic portfolio, as well as housing

a demonstration kitchen and an

engineering testing area where it

will be hosting both dealer sales and

engineering training days.

In the high-tech building overall,

the first floor serves as office space

and features living plant walls as part

of the manufacturer’s green agenda,

while the second floor currently stands

empty. “That’s an area for expansion for

us, whether that be additional sales or

administration. It gives us flexibility,”

commented Coulstock.

The domestic area of the showroom

had its big launch last August, but the

commercial team held on until now

as it was waiting for the new Topline

series of warewashers to be ready.

According to Coulstock: “Topline

brings the benefits of tailored wash

cycles, which both gives distributors

a point of sale and end users a bit of

education as to the right cycle to use

for the right basket.”

The next step in the line’s

development will be a hood type

machine with a steam heat recovery

system, which is designed to reduce

the amount of steam coming from the

dishwater at the end of the rinsing

cycle, using it to heat the incoming

water. This should also save energy

and improve working conditions for

operators. The HTY520DH model is

scheduled to be commercially available

in the next couple of months.

Subsequently, Smeg will be

concentrating on equipping first its

warewashers then its ovens with wifi

connections. “We are running this in

tandem with our domestic division,”

said Coulstock. “We are helped by this

partnership because the size of this

business means there is a high level of

investment in terms of hardware and

software from a third party.

“Once that has been tailored to a

range of Smeg products, it’s easy to

transfer the app and user interface

“We are able to get

features on our

machines that some

of our competitors

would have to spend

millions on, whereas

our domestic side

can afford that level

of research and

development.”

1

1

Smeg UK’s new

headquarters

commercial

equipment

showroom.

2

Commercial

channel director

Phil Coulstock has

ambitious sales

targets for the

brand’s ovens

and warewashers.

24

MANUFACTURER / SMEG

C AT E R I N G INSIGHT / FEBRUARY 2018 / http://www.cateringinsight.com