CSIL Report The Kitchen furniture distribution in Italy, now at its eight edition (previous: 2008, 2012, 2015, 2018), aims to:

• Analyse the qualitative features of the ‘best’ kitchen furniture stores (that sell more than 20 kitchens per year)
• Analyse the service in the outlets and the trade satisfaction for the top 16 kitchen furniture companies operating in the Italian market
• Offer a series of benchmarks for the companies in the sector, regarding service, an independent certification of the results achieved, a training tool for the sales force.

The study focused on the main kitchen furniture brands in our country, with qualitative assessment and trade satisfaction analysis in terms of services, products, prices, promotion (grouped in 17 items) and identification of strengths and weaknesses for each of the 16 brands analysed: Aran, Arredo3, Arrital, Arrex, Doimo, Ernestomeda, Lube/Creo, MobilTuri, Modulnova, Nobilia, Poliform, Scavolini, Snaidero, Stosa, Valcucine, Veneta. To these were also added the categories Other High Range Brands and Other Brands which group around fifty other kitchen furniture brands mentioned by the sample interviewed.

Data were collected through 270 interviews carried out mainly by e-mail, with frequent telephone re-calls, with the help of a semi-structured questionnaire with questions about: structural data characterizing the outlet (outlet size, number of kitchen sold, average price), relationship with suppliers (main brands covered, opinions about these brands for selected items, as an example: frequency/facility of contacts with the supplier, loyalty to distribution channels, punctuality in delivering?), type of customers and promotions, the presence of retailers on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, the type of top used, software, appliances, adherence to new forms of advertising.

The geographical composition of the sample corresponds roughly to the actual national number, with a slight over-representation of Northern Italy (about 60%). Slightly higher in the South, the presence of small retail outlets. A certain correlation is also recorded for the average price of the kitchen and geographical location: higher range in the North, medium-economic in the South.

The sample of retailers interviewed was asked to express an evaluation from 1 to 5 (where 5 is the maximum and 1 the minimum) on the preferred brand of kitchens (most treated) for each of the considered characteristics (aspects related to the product, service, price and promotion), for which the average ratings were then calculated.

The 17 evaluation criteria considered were the following: materials to support retailer sales, frequency/ easiness of contact with the supplier, fidelity, delivery times, after-sales technical assistance, prices and margins, range of products and models (kitchen furniture, appliances, Tables, Chairs and Complements), innovation rate, brand awareness and advertising campaigns, promotion skills, support in the planning and the installations of the fittings, quality-price ratio, software availability.

The brands that reported the highest number of judgments were then selected and the averages were calculated both between the judgments expressed for the individual characteristic observed, in order to compare the different brands on that particular characteristic, and between the judgments expressed for the individual manufacturer, so as to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the individual brand.

Selected companies

Aran, Arredo3, Arrital, Arrex, Doimo, Ernestomeda, Lube/Creo, MobilTuri, Modulnova, Nobilia, Poliform, Scavolini, Snaidero, Stosa, Valcucine, Veneta/Forma 2