Multi-million pound investment will create jobs as manufacturer targets growth
Premiere Kitchens, a Gloucester based kitchen manufacturer, has invested £5 million in new manufacturing equipment after leadership development with QuoLux™ helped double the company's profitability in two years.
Last week it unveiled a £5m investment in its Gloucester factory that will create jobs and drive growth. The Raikes Journal looks closer at Premiere Kitchen’s plans for the next three years.
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This article first appeared on 17th July in The Raikes Journal after leading county journalist Andrew Merrell dug into the press release some more.
Premiere Kitchen found itself popular on social media this week when it officially opened the first phase of a three-year £5 million investment programme as part of its continued growth.
Former High Sheriff of Gloucestershire, Julie Kent, MBE, helped mark the grand reveal of the new manufacturing equipment at the firm’s Gloucester headquarters and the story was widely shared.
The £3.25 million investment will give Premiere Kitchens the capacity to increase production and improve quality, further strengthening its position as a major supplier to the UK’s social housing sector.
We wanted to expand on the press release from Prestbury Marketing (that everyone else just went ahead and published) with a bit of journalism. We wanted to tell some of the story we had heard Premiere Kitchen’s managing director, Andy Barham, share before about the incredible turnaround in the firm’s fortunes under his watch, how he’s helped do that, and how many jobs it will create.
It’s such an impressive story that we’re making Premiere Kitchens the latest business to receive one of our Raikes Recognition certificates, part of a series of awards we give to mark outstanding achievement by companies and individuals in the county.
Barham has been with Markey Group since 2007 and became managing director of its kitchen manufacturing business in 2014.
He was just about to unveil plans for growth when Covid-19 pandemic struck, and put everything on ice. It was a difficult time for the business.
Barham felt if he was to live up to expectations and achieve growth post-pandemic he had to be able to get the most out of himself, and promptly threw himself into a programme with Gloucester-based leadership development experts QuoLux™.
He credits this journey as instrumental in helping him and his team transform the achieve those goals. Productivity rose from £120,000 per head to £175,000 – an increase of 45 per cent. And in two years to 2026 profitability more than doubled from £1.3m to £3.2m.
“I am sure that the leadership training throughout the organisation we invested in via QuoLux™ allowed us to take advantage of a change in dynamic within our market when a large competitor sadly fell into administration,” said Barham.
“The skill sets we had learned enabled us to scale up swiftly, whilst totally conscious of the change that caused within the businesses, allowed us to help colleagues through that and maintain control of commercial elements.
“This, coupled with a fantastic, vibrant ‘can-do’ culture built on an established set of values and a very clear purpose within the organisation.”
The impact of its latest investment will not just be on its output and customer service. It will allow it to create jobs too. Premiere Kitchens currently employs 140 but expects to create circa 20-30 new jobs by 2030.
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It is understood Barham and his team have their sights set on 50 per cent revenue growth for Premiere Kitchens as a result of the current and pending investment.
Markey Group’s last published accounts describe a £41.7m turnover for the year ending March 2025, up from £32m the year before.
The latest investment at Premiere Kitchens also ticks many boxes for customers increasingly seeking partners who share their concerns for sustainability.
“We are completely focused on delivering the very best quality and service we can for any housing association, council or contractors’ budget and creating value for everyone in the supply chain from the end user to Premiere’s own colleagues,” said Barham.
“Add in our environmental focus that sees a biomass creating the facility’s heat whilst 1MW helps supply the electricity needed, we offer a very compelling value proposition for all our existing and potential customers.”
Premiere selected German engineering specialist Homag as its technology partner and its new manufacturing line resulting from the £3.25m spent includes an advanced automated panel cutting system and edge banding machine said to deliver exceptional precision, efficiency, consistency and significantly reducing waste.
All timber waste generated during production is now automatically transferred directly into Premiere’s onsite biomass heating system, providing heat and hot water for the facility.
Electricity is generated from one megawatt of rooftop solar panels.
“This investment isn’t simply about buying new machinery. It’s about ensuring we have the capacity, technology and quality standards to continue supporting social housing providers for many years to come,” said Barham.
“Demand for high-quality replacement kitchens continues to grow, yet relatively few major manufacturers focus on this market.
“We’ve built our reputation over more than 35 years by understanding exactly what housing associations and local authorities need, and this investment reinforces that long-term commitment.”
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Kent said: “Premiere Kitchens demonstrates exactly the kind of innovative, sustainable manufacturing that Gloucestershire should be proud of.
“The company’s long-standing commitment to supporting social housing while investing in advanced technology is an excellent example of British manufacturing at its very best.”
Stewart Barnes, founder and chief executive officer of QuoLux™, said, “We’ve been working with Andy Barham and many of his colleagues since 2021 across many of our programmes.
“We have witnessed at first-hand the meteoric increase in the performance of the business and the positive impact that leadership has had at all levels in the company, so much so that we featured it as a case study in our latest book, Realising Good Growth.
“Andy has consistently invested in people and now it's time for new plant and machinery as per the business plan.”
Hifsa O’Kelly, partner in employment law and business immigration at Willans LLP solicitors, said, “Congratulations to Premiere Kitchens on this significant investment.
“This is great news for Gloucester’s economy, and what's particularly encouraging is that the company recognises that growth isn't just about investing in machinery and facilities – it's also about investing in people.
“Premiere Kitchens’ focus on creating and guaranteeing careers within Gloucestershire, and not just jobs, demonstrates strong and effective leadership that is committed to retaining and developing talent, which is often the strong foundation of a successful and long-lasting business.”
A statement from Gloucestershire College said, “This investment is great news for Gloucester, demonstrating the strength and resilience of our local manufacturing sector.
"As a college, we’re committed to supporting employers with the skills and the talent pipeline they need to grow, and it’s always encouraging to see businesses like Premiere Kitchens continuing to create new employment opportunities.”
Premiere Kitchens' results reflect what can happen when a business commits fully to developing its people, not just its plant and machinery. If this story has raised questions about what similar investment could do for your own organisation, the next QuoLux™ LEAD™ programme begins on 5th and 6th November. Contact us directly here to find out more or reserve a place.
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