French kitchen manufacturer says bonjour to Yorkshire with £250,000 showroom investment

French kitchen manufacturer Mobalpa has opened its first Yorkshire showroom following a £250,000 investment.

Owned by business partners Simon Pochin and Kim Bowers, Mobalpa Huddersfield at Wakefield Road Retail provides a professional kitchen design and installation service, with full project management.

With a background in bathroom showrooms and HR, Pochin and Bowers are working with an in-house designer and a trainee, and have plans to continue recruiting.

Pochin said: “I was originally considering opening a bathroom showroom due to my experience, but when I started to do my research Mobalpa was one of the first names that came up. Having lived in France for 20 years this was a name I was very familiar with and was immediately interested in. The brand, its quality, product range and overall ethos, really appealed to me.”

Bowers added: “I had never considered the prospect of opening a kitchen showroom. However, Simon’s passion for the brand and venture got me interested and once I went with him to have a look at Mobalpa Warrington I fell in love and thought to myself I really want to do this. Sixteen months of training, learning and planning later and here we are.”

Mobalpa manufactures its kitchens in the French Alps with designs including innovative storage solutions, concealed cabinets in a variety of finishes, textures and colours.

Kyle Whittle, Mobalpa national franchise development manager, said: “Simon and Kim’s passion for the brand is clear to all of those who speak to them and we are excited to welcome them to the team. The Mobalpa Huddersfield showroom is our first in Yorkshire and we look forward to introducing our French kitchen furniture brand to the area.”

Mobalpa is planning further growth across the UK in 2017 with an expected four retail units in the pipeline.