TURNING UP THE HEAT
Sarah Varley catches up with Lucas Everett to find out about all the changes that have been happening at Canterbury Fireplaces over the summer. Photography: Robin Lyndon
Far from being a summer break, owner Lucas Everett and the Canterbury Fireplaces team have had an extremely busy few months. Having recently celebrated their 30th year in business and Lucas’ third year at the helm, big changes have happened over the summer, including a whole refresh of the huge showroom.
“We have changed over 20 displays to showcase the latest additions and state-of-the-art products across all our ranges,” Lucas tells me.
As always, the surrounds and finishes are as beautiful as the fires, and inspiration abounds for buyers whatever style you are looking for.
“We have taken on new employees to deal with growing demand, both in the showroom and in installation. Plus one of our apprentices, Elliot, is now a fully qualified gas engineer, having completed his three years of training, so we’re really pleased,” Lucas says. “We also have a new van, extending our fleet to three vans. This reflects just how much we are growing and means that we can have shorter lead times and faster turn-around on all the jobs coming in. We have also invested a lot over the summer in extending our warehouse, putting a new mezzanine floor in so we now have even more storage capacity for stock.”
“We are getting lots of orders for wood-burning stoves, especially with people starting to look ahead to the winter season and wanting the cosiness and extra dimension these bring to a home. We have a specially dedicated wood-burner section in the showroom, with over 40 stoves on display and seven live stoves that we can light and demonstrate so customers can see how they work, try out the different features and see just how easy they are to operate. It is fantastic how clean they are now too, with very little mess at all,” adds Lucas.
Canterbury Fireplaces pride themselves on bringing customers the very best brands from the UK and Europe, including Contura, Charlton + Jenrick, Stovax, Esse, Yeoman and Nordpeis and it is clear that Lucas and the team love helping people to find the perfect fire for their home.
“We do everything from design and supply through to building and plastering fireplaces, installing flues and maintenance afterwards, making everything as easy as possible for our customers. We have fantastic wood-burning stoves available in all different styles, from rustic to ultra-contemporary. You can choose from award-winning designs and an array of features with breath-taking flame views, clean burn and airwash systems and integrated log storage that can be a feature or hidden, whatever you want for your perfect look and feel for your room,” Lucas enthuses.
“We are one of only a few Centres of Excellence for Pure Vision from Charlton + Jenrick, and these stoves have some amazing features, such as an active baffle system that allows smoke to go up the chimney rather than into your room when you open the door to refuel,” Lucas explains. The showroom is the perfect place to find the right fire for you.
As well as design and feature advice, staff are on hand to educate customers on the best way to use their wood-burner, to get the very best economy both for themselves and the environment. “The stoves we stock are highly efficient, with the majority being eco-design ready so they are already compliant with the government’s clean-air strategy well ahead of the 2022 date,” Lucas says.
Another big change over the summer is the launch of Canterbury Fireplaces’ brand new website. “We’re really excited about the new website,” says Lucas. “It looks great and it’s much easier to navigate, with lots of new products and so much information on there.” Customers can browse and compare hundreds of different wood-burning stoves, electric and gas fires from home before heading into the showroom to find out more.
Canterbury Fireplaces has over 30 years’ experience, offering expert advice and a complete, hassle-free service from bespoke design through to seamless installation. Visit the showroom today.
Canterbury Fireplaces
Canterbury Street, Blackburn BB2 2HP
01254 682574
www.canterburyfireplaces.com
