We can officially declare our HPX trade show a resounding success, with ringing endorsements coming from our trade exhibitors and visitors alike.
Our unrivalled and excellent relationships with more big-name suppliers than anyone else in the KBB industry is what makes us unique, and that was clear to see for the 300-plus visitors who came along to the day-long showcase at the Village Hotel, Manchester.
The illustrious line-up of stands featured some of the latest developments and products from Blum, Kronospan, EGGER, Sensio lighting, Reginox sinks, the ArtiCAD visualisation platform and VIBO wireworks and storage solutions.
And it was a perfect opportunity to show off some of the latest developments of our own - such as our 100-plus new handles reflecting current and emerging trends for colours and tactile finishes, as well as nine new colours of SERICA super-matt PVC board to complement the super-matt doors added to our Avanti Opus off-the-shelf collection and the made-to-measure Aspire collection.
The very first visitor through the door was Stephen Capel, now a director of Sale-based Bluebell Fitted Furniture following a management buy-out, whose comments on the nigh-on two hours he spent with us, echo the sentiments of many other visitors.
He said: "I thought there would definitely two or three stands, such as EGGER and Kronospan, that would be worth coming for alone, and then I'd go around the others, smile politely and shake people's hands.
"But genuinely, on every single stand, there's been something that's interesting, something that's caught my eye - on the Sensio stand, on the Blum range. I'm going back full of ideas from every part of it. Considering the size (of HPX) - it's not a huge exhibition - it's really on-point."
Ben Muirhead, Blum's National Sales Manager, spoke for the exhibitors when he said: "If you look at it from the amount of people that are here and the number of exhibitors, the value per head is probably more beneficial than a big KBB trade show. So, fair play to Hill's; the marketing they've done is very impressive, they've obviously worked very hard at it."
Among a wide range of products, the Blum team was showing off its eagerly awaited REVEGO pocket door system new to the UK and being launched with a big fanfare by the Austrian-based manufacturer and supplier of high-quality kitchen and bedroom drawers, furniture fittings, and accessories.
Leading manufacturer and distributor of wood-based panels, the EGGER team talking about its new decorative collection which is launching in February 2024 and also featured its TM9 super-matt product along with their new Casella Oak décors.
Tom Sharp, Egger's Northern Area Sales Manager, said: "HPX has been a very successful day for us with really good footfall, and a good opportunity to get in front of customers. We've had good feedback on our new products in particular, and we've been able to showcase to more people than we normally would in this kind of space and time.
"The customers we've seen have wanted to be sold to; they've wanted us to explain the new products, to learn what the latest textures are and what the latest lacquering processes are."
Fellow chipboard manufacturer and supplier, Kronospan featured its newly launched Global Collection and a new worktop range.
Area Sales Manager Ben Wilson said: "Most of the customers are aware we have a really strong relationship with Hill's, who are committed to stocking all of our new boards, which is great. So, in terms of the customers, there's access to the route to supply, which makes Hill's the perfect partner.
"It's been really worthwhile, there's been a constant stream of people throughout the day from all over the country and we've got numerous leads to follow up on. Compared to the bigger KBB shows, this has been much more targeted."
For some visitors, HPX was a light bulb moment (literally) about the range of products we sell.
Andrew Sheppard, Sensio's Merchandising Manager, said: "As a lighting component company, it is good educate people that there is a lot more to HPP than just board. There's been a lot of interest in Sensio and what we do.
"A lot of the engagement has been showing our visitors products they might have used in the past and the newer versions of it, so they're getting up to date with the latest trends and what we've got to offer as a supplier."
Visitor John Swarbrick, owner of Creative Joinery, in Chorley, Lancashire, an account holder with us for more than 30 years, said: "It was informative, there were a few products I hadn't seen before. I've been buying Sensio lighting from another company, but now I've seen what Hill's do, I'll buy from them in the future.
"There was an ArtiCAD design programme that I'd not seen before. We've been looking to update our design programme, so I was very interested in that. There were some new doors, and I liked the zero degree hinges by Blum.
"It's great see everything in reality, it's very different from looking online, you could touch things, see what it feels like," added John.
Education was also a factor for exhibitor Dave Mayer, Commercial Director at our sink supplier Reginox, which is based in the Netherlands with a UK headquarters in Cheshire.
Reginox is acclaimed for the style and innovation of its wide-ranging array of sinks and taps, which have coined the internationally renowned term 'Dutch design'.
Dave explained: "HPX has been brilliant. We've had people say we didn't know (HPP) sell sinks, so we've been able to educate them and say they do, and these are the sinks they sell; and then educate them about our company, the quality and then refer back to HPP. That interaction has been good for us and it's good for HPP too."
It was also a voyage of discovery for our visitors from Medina Cabinets in Chadderton, whose fitter Ethan Kershaw, said: "There's a lot of companies here that we use but we've never used Blum before and my boss is speaking to Sensio (lighting), so I think we're picking up a lot of new information. We would definitely come again."
As well as being impressed with HPX, Tobias Waltham, Director of Corporate Partnerships at ArtiCAD, had another reason to sing our praises.
He said: I think it is important to have events like this in this part of the world. There's a lot of conferences and a lot of awards, but they tend to be Midlands and south of there. People forget there are a lot of retailers in Manchester and the north, so it's really important to have events like this that service those people.
"For us, it's been amazing. At ArtiCAD, we try and be really personable with everyone, from one-man bands right up to our much larger corporate customers, so it's a great opportunity to catch up with them and perhaps do a little bit of training on our stand. But it's also a good opportunity to meet new retailers."
We'll leave the last word to James Shepherd of Easyfit Wardrobes, a Nuneaton-based family firm that's been a HPP account holder for 24 years.
He said: "My first impression was that HPX was small; I thought, have I driven two-and-a-half hours for this? But as I started to visit the stands, it got more and more interesting as I met everybody. It's expanded my view of the products Hill's have to offer and definitely broadened my horizons."
Check out all the photos from HPX and the evening's gala dinner on our Facebook page: