Kitchen specialist Schmidt welcomes visitors to new London Road store
SEVENOAKS MP the Rt Hon Sir Michael Fallon joined several other local dignitaries and guests at a special event to celebrate the opening of a new Schmidt store in the town recently.
Store owners Adrian and Janice Tobitt (left) with Mayor and Mayoress of Sevenoaks, Cllr Roderick Hogarth and Mary Hogarth and the Rt Hon Sir Michael Fallon.
The French kitchen manufacturer is expanding rapidly and the outlet at 14-18 London Road is the company’s 21st showroom in the UK.
The showroom is owned by husband and wife team Adrian and Janice Tobitt and they have employed Janice’s son Ben as well as Monika Czaja as sales and design consultants.
Adrian has worked in partnership with Schmidt for nine years and Janice also has a wealth of business experience having previously been employed as an executive secretary with BP for 36 years. They have both had intensive training from Schmidt, both in the UK and in France, and their combined knowledge has resulted in a very successful first three months trading.
Other guests at the recent open day included the Mayor and Mayoress of Sevenoaks, Councillor Roderick Hogarth and Mrs Mary Hogarth, Schmidt’s International Director, Stephane Bihler, and their showroom designer Guewen Collet.
All the guests were able to tour the five kitchen displays and other areas with the Wow kitchen and living area proving very popular. And earlier in the day visitors to the shop were treated to cookery demonstrations by a chef.
Janice said: “With a lead time of just 8-10 weeks, now’s the time to get your kitchen, bedroom, bathroom or living area updated – all in time for a relaxed Christmas! There will be more exciting events in the future – including special in-store promotions available in store.”
The new Schmidt store premises has a notable link with the past as it used to be the town’s jail where prisoners would be kept in small cramped cells in the basement before being taken to the local court house in Bank Street – or worse to the nearby gallows that stood close to The Chequers Pub!
Sevenoaks residents with long memories will recall that the premises was previously called ‘The Old Town Jail’ when it was occupied in the 1970s and 80s by Dale Johnson, the furnishing company that also sold gifts and trinkets in the basement area.
