'Anticipate more digitization in the profession!'

A consumer wants as much control as possible over how their kitchen looks

Visionary philosophizing about the (near) future of the kitchen industry is never a superfluous luxury. This time, for this column, we do so with Elbert van Dalen of Onlinekeukenveiling.nl in Den Bosch. "I can look three years ahead and say something meaningful about it. Looking seven years ahead is often wishful thinking," he says. "One thing is certain though: we are going to face a number of lean years."

"What I hear now from our customers is that there are fewer visitors in the showrooms. So, fewer orders. And, fewer sales. Unfortunately. In the first six months of 2023, we ourselves experienced seven business closures while there were only three for the year 2022 as a whole. I expect in the second half of this year that the number of bankruptcies will unfortunately increase."

The company has existed for almost seven years. In the Netherlands and Belgium, Onlinekeukenveilingen.nl is seen as the matchmaker between the kitchen specialty stores that want to get rid of their showroom kitchens and the consumers who are interested in buying these showroom kitchens and selling them.
of its own kitchens. There are plans to expand into Germany.

According to Elbert, there are several causes. "Consumer confidence is falling. And, let's not forget that the housing market is locked. I don't expect that the current administration can solve this. So we will have to wait for a new administration that will make much more sensible decisions, such as, for example, jettisoning the insane nitrogen hoax: as far as I am concerned, it is a made-up civil service problem. Unfortunately, the nitrogen hoax affects our industry. The next Lower House elections are therefore very crucial."

But yes, as an entrepreneur in the kitchen industry, what can you do about this in concrete terms? Little, Elbert also acknowledges. Still, he has some advice: "Keep your inventories low and make sure your showroom is always up-to-date. After all, the consumers who are still coming always want to see the latest of the newest. But ... also anticipate further digitalization."

That's exactly where Elbert gets to his point, looking ahead to 2030. "I am convinced that by then 15% of the total number of kitchens sold in the Netherlands will be organized online. There is already considerable investment in all kinds of configuration models. Consumers will want to put together their own kitchen on an iPad. Parties will emerge that will facilitate this very well. I think it's very likely that more kitchen specialty stores will disappear as a result. Certainly those that lack entrepreneurship or do not follow the configuration developments. Because it's very simple: a consumer wants as much as possible to decide for himself what his kitchen looks like."

"Moreover, the average consumer is no longer waiting for a showroom salesman to 'put the knife to the throat,'" Elbert continued. "Because let's face it: kitchen salesmen don't have too good a reputation. The mindset will have to change. At least: if you want to survive the competition."

Still, Elbert sees a big advantage of these configuration developments. "Kitchen pricing will become more transparent. The market will become purer. So the kitchen specialty stores will have to do something with that, because the consumer, who will still visit the showroom, will ask different - perhaps: better - questions!"

So good entrepreneurship is becoming the credo more than ever, according to Elbert. "I know all about it. I have also become wise through trial and error. Fortunately, the level of entrepreneurship in kitchen country is quite good but I still sometimes see some laxity. I am amazed that there are entrepreneurs who somehow seem to accept that sometimes things don't go well for a while. Well, that could be better as far as I'm concerned. Don't those entrepreneurs pick up the gauntlet? Fine. But then I do fear they won't make it to 2030."