Luxury British kitchen manufacturer Kesseler is set to expand into new markets after securing grant funding to buy specialist machinery for its Nottinghamshire factory.
The firm designs and manufactures luxury kitchen furniture from its base in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, and is looking to break into the lucrative bedrooms market. It recently secured a £30,000 grant from the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership’s Business Innovation Fund towards the purchase of new manufacturing equipment to help increase production capacity.
Mansfield Innovation Centre’s innovation director David Smith, supported its application, advising on the application and helping create the paperwork and documentation.
Kesseler joined the Centre in October 2021, taking up office space to house its eight-person sales team, freeing-up space at its main production facility.
Founded in 2009 by the Slater family, Kesseler now employs 44 people and has established partnerships with industry-leading brands, including Smeg, Konigstone, Laminam, the 1810 Company, Block Knives and Kaelo and has showrooms across the UK.
Ben Slater said: “We are growing at an incredible rate and have plans to continue growing even faster. The new machinery this grant will enable us to purchase is a fundamental part of these plans.
“The support we have received from David and the team at the Mansfield Innovation Centre has been invaluable. They’ve helped us navigate the process to give our application the best chance of success, and we’d have struggled to pull it together without David’s input.
“The service we get from the Centre is amazing. It means we can house our sales team in a pleasant environment that’s detached from our main factory – which is great from a customer perspective – but we also get advice and insight from David and his team to help us bring our ideas and plans to fruition.”
Mansfield Innovation Centre provides a business base to more than 30 growing businesses. It offers fully serviced offices and workshops, a virtual office facility, hot desk area, and meeting and conference rooms. Managed by Oxford Innovation Space, customers also benefit from a package of support and coaching tailored to each business’s needs and growth aims.
David Smith said: “It’s great to welcome Kesseler on board as a customer at the Centre and work with its team to support its plans for growth. We were delighted to be able to successfully support its application for this grant, which will enable it to purchase some of the equipment it needs to continue to develop and grow this side of the business.
“As well as providing high-quality office space in Mansfield, we also aim to provide all our customers with bespoke support to help them achieve their goals and overcome any issues or challenges they may be facing. Kesseler is a prestigious business to work with, which has an excellent reputation across the UK, so we’re proud to be a part of their journey.”
