AFG Kitchens UK Ltd, with its headquarters and showroom in Abingdon, has been bought out from its German parent by UK Managing Director Jim Gettings and is now called Abingdon Furniture Gallery Ltd.
Over the past two years, the AFG group has undergone restructuring to meet the challenges of the current economic climate.
Like many other German kitchen manufacturers, much of the day-to-day running and administration of the Warendorf brand has been moved back to its base in Germany, enabling it to focus on the development of its distribution strategy within the UK and Europe.
As part of its ongoing strategy, AFG looked at its wholly-owned retail business, AFG Kitchens UK Ltd in Abingdon, and decided that this type of operation does not fit within its distribution policy going forward.
Jim Gettings, Managing Director for AFG in the UK, says: “Since we opened the AFG flagship operation in Abingdon in mid-2009 we have seen consistent growth for the retail and contracts operation year-on-year.
“The restructuring of Warendorf’s distribution across Europe presented me with an exciting opportunity to secure the purchase of its only UK retail operation. The move ensures the jobs of the UK team and that the Abingdon showroom will remain the largest retailer of the Warendorf brand within the UK.”
All employees will move across to the new company, which will continue to sell the premium Warendorf brand.
Jim Gettings says: “To offer our customers a wider breadth of choice and secure the competitiveness in other market segments besides the premium market, we have secured other opportunities to develop our ongoing growth.”
UK sales manager Mark Keary will continue working on Warendorf’s market development strategy and will support sales partners across the UK.
Managing Director of Warendorf, Thorsten Pree, says Warendorf will continue working with the team at Abingdon to promote the brand. “The sale of the retail operation will allow us now to focus on our evolving distribution policy within the UK and Europe,” he said.