Tissino will host a programme of regional retailer engagement events across the South and South West of England, designed to give KBB partners direct access to its latest product launches without the need to travel to the company’s headquarters open week.

Following strong attendance at its recent HQ events, the brand is extending the same hands-on training format into key regional locations, allowing more retailers to experience new collections first-hand while gaining deeper technical understanding of specification, installation and performance.

The first event will take place in Bristol on 25 March at Aerospace Bristol, with additional sessions planned across North and South London later in the year.

Running from 2:30pm to 6:30pm, the Bristol event will centre on product workshops and practical demonstrations, alongside opportunities for retailers to handle products and discuss applications directly with the Tissino team. The format has been intentionally kept flexible so discussions can adapt to the interests of attending retailers.

The programme mirrors the structure of the company’s open weeks but relocates it closer to customers who cannot easily travel, supporting sales teams with the knowledge required to present products accurately on the showroom floor.

The Aerospace Bristol venue has been selected to reflect the brand’s emphasis on engineering and technical performance. The afternoon will explore how Tissino approaches product development from concept through to durability and day-to-day use, before concluding with informal networking, food and drinks.

Frazer Lewis, Sales Director at Tissino, said: “These events are about making it easier for our retail partners to access the same level of product understanding they would normally gain at our headquarters, but within their own region so the barrier of travel is removed. We know that confidence on the showroom floor comes from actually seeing how products are built, how they install and how they perform over time, and that is difficult to communicate through brochures or digital presentations alone.

“By bringing the team, the products and the technical detail directly to them, we can spend more time answering practical questions and discussing real customer scenarios, which helps retailers sell more accurately and reduces uncertainty at the point of specification. The aim is to support our partners beyond supply, ensuring they feel informed when presenting new launches and comfortable recommending them to their customers.”

By taking training directly to regional partners, Tissino aims to strengthen product understanding at point of sale while ensuring new launches are supported by practical knowledge rather than brochure-level awareness.

A booking link for retailers can be found here – www.tissino.co.uk/bristol-event

The countdown is on for kbb Birmingham 2026, set to mark 40 years for one of the UK’s leading KBB trade events. Taking place from 1–4 March 2026 at the NEC, the show will bring together more than 320 exhibitors and an audience of over 17,000 industry professionals.

Positioned as the largest edition to date, the event will showcase the latest in kitchen, bedroom and bathroom design, with a strong focus on sustainability, smart technology and personalisation.

Leading brands and new exhibitors

The 2026 show will see the return of established brands including Acquabella, House of Rohl, Aqualisa, Kesseböhmer, Hettich UK, BLANCO, Elica, Sensio Lighting, Finsa, Faber, Schüller, next125, Trade Mouldings, Crofts & Assinder, GTV Poland, SAMSUNG, Verona Group and Whitebirk Sink Company.

More than 40 new exhibitors will also debut, including AVINTAGE, Birch and Oak, Bidbury & Co, Disbain, FRASCIO Holdings Ltd, Laminam, Hampton Kitchens, QETTLE, Hacker, EVABOX, Cata Appliances, Rubio Monocoat UK, Nobu Concept, Triofloor and Woodio.

Show highlights and features

Visitors can expect a packed programme of features designed to drive engagement across the KBB sector:

• Innovation Awards – Sponsored by Blum, the awards return for their 11th year, with shortlisted products on display, celebrating cutting-edge advancements across the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom sector.
• Spanish Design Pavilion – A new feature delivered in partnership with ASEBAN and IVACE International, showcasing ten leading Spanish suppliers, including brands new to the show.
• Sustainability initiative – kbb Birmingham continues its partnership with The Used Kitchen Company for a sixth year, encouraging the resale and reuse of displays to support a circular economy.
• Event app – Sponsored by SMEG, the app offers personalised agendas, real-time schedules and navigation tools for visitors, alongside enhanced digital profiling and data insights for exhibitors.
• Awards and recognition – Alongside the Stand Awards, the inaugural Andy Bishop Award will honour a respected industry figure, celebrating long-term contribution and community values.
• 40th anniversary activity – 40 rubber ducks will be hidden across the show floor, with prizes from brands including hib., Ca’ Pietra, Abode, Armac Martin, Origins Living, SMEG, AGA Rangemaster Ltd, Perrin & Rowe and BORA.
• Networking opportunities – BIFIS will host lunches on Monday and Wednesday, while Blum will sponsor the show bar.

Jon Johnston, Sales Director, kbb Birmingham, commented, “kbb Birmingham 2026 will be a landmark edition for the industry as we celebrate 40 years of the show, and the programme truly reflects the scale of that milestone. From the Innovation Awards and our continued commitment to sustainability through the Used Kitchen Company partnership, to the launch of the Spanish Design Pavilion and the introduction of the new app, there will be so much for visitors to engage with. Add to that a packed show floor of new and returning exhibitors, and a few fun surprises to mark the anniversary, it’s clear that kbb Birmingham 2026 will be an unmissable event for the entire KBB community. We look forward to bringing the industry together and highlighting the latest products and initiatives at the show.”

Register for kbb Birmingham 2026

Taking place at the NEC from 1–4 March 2026, kbb Birmingham will showcase over 25 product categories, offering a comprehensive insight into the latest innovations shaping kitchen, bedroom and bathroom design.

THE jobs most at risk from AI are those in customer service, data entry, banking and paralegals, experts have revealed. Safeground includes careers that are resilient to AI, such as building trades, healthcare roles, and hands-on occupations.

Just last month, the government announced free AI foundations training for all workers has been expanded to up-skill 10 million people, with new partners including NHS and techUK.

But for many, they fear AI will mean their job will be automated in a matter of years – leaving them jobless.

Newspage spoke to experts in AI and small business owners about the jobs they fear will become largely defunct due to AI and what people in those industries need to do about it.

Colette Mason, Author & AI Consultant at London-based Clever Clogs AI, shared the jobs she believed were at risk from AI. “AI isn’t coming for your job. For millions, it’s already there. Customer service: 80% automation potential. Data entry: 7.5 million roles gone by 2027. Banking: 200,000 Wall Street jobs at risk within five years. Paralegals: 80% risk by 2026. Microsoft writes 30% of its code with AI, then lays off 40% of its engineers. Retraining doesn’t mean learning to chat with ChatGPT. 

“It means understanding systems and security and risk, where AI breaks, where human judgement is non-negotiable, and staying on the deciding side. Timeframes? Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) says 11.7% of US jobs are automatable now, not future AI, today’s. VCs call 2026 the year budgets shift from headcount to compute. 

“Safe ground? Trades, healthcare, anything needing physical presence and real human relationship. In 2025, 40% of graduates chose plumbing, electrical, and construction over white-collar degrees. They read the room before most boardrooms did.”

Rohit Parmar-Mistry, Founder at Burton-on-Trent-based Pattrn Data, said jobs are being lost by firms replacing junior staff with AI. He continued: “Let’s stop pretending AI is about to wipe out entire professions. The so-called ‘jobs apocalypse’ is largely a boardroom fantasy, heavily pushed by big corporates obsessed with short-term cost-cutting rather than actual innovation. In our AI Audits, we constantly see firms trying to replace junior staff with generative AI to save a few quid. The result? 

“Quality plummets and they end up with a costly mess because they removed the human reasoning that makes businesses function. Automation theatre always fails when it meets real human complexity. If you want to ‘AI-immunise’ yourself, stop viewing it as a competitor. 

“Learn how to use these tools to automate the dull parts of your day, freeing you up for the complex, creative, and relationship-driven work that algorithms can’t touch. The real threat isn’t AI taking your job, it’s someone who knows how to use AI taking your job. Technology should serve people, not the other way around.”

Patricia McGirr, Founder at Burnley-based Repossession Rescue Network, agreed that junior roles are being lost. She added: “AI will not steal your job. It will expose how replaceable it is. The most at risk roles are built on repetition. Data entry. Basic accounts prep. Templated legal drafting. First line underwriting. Scripted customer service. If your day runs on a checklist, a machine can run it faster. 

“The real danger is not robots everywhere. It is shrinking career ladders. Fewer junior roles. Higher output targets. Wage pressure within three to five years. Anyone entering those sectors needs to pivot now. Learn AI tools quickly, yes. But build the layer above them. 

“Judgement. Context. Commercial awareness. Regulatory responsibility. Client trust. AI can process rules. It cannot sit across the table from a worried client and carry the consequence of advice given. Average is automated. Accountable is not. That is the dividing line.”

Kate Allen, Owner at Kingsbridge-based Finest Stays, advised business owners to work with AI. She continued: “Process-driven, pattern-based professions are perilously poised for AI takeover. Payroll processing, paralegal paperwork, basic bookkeeping, routine reporting, call-centre queries and junior programming all sit squarely in the firing line. If a role runs on rules, repetition and rigid workflows, it is vulnerable.

“Careers rooted in empathy, interpretation and imagination such as therapy, teaching, leadership, negotiation, nuanced journalism and skilled trades remain resilient because the human touch still triumphs where context and care count.

“My advice is simple: pivot and prepare, pair your profession with AI fluency, learn to prompt and supervise systems, and prioritise creativity, critical thinking and complex communication. Automation will accelerate over the next five to ten years, so adapt early, add value and stay strategically human.”

Dr Marianne Trent, Clinical Psychologist at Coventry-based Good Thinking Psychology, said the human connection is still important. She added: “With people regularly turning to ChatGPT for mental health advice you might think psychologists might be at risk. However, speaking as a clinical psychologist I feel that ultimately people will notice that human connection is so important and protective for mental health. 

“I’d wager that your therapist is infinitely less annoying and used way less em-dashes than a chat with a bot too.”

Photo Credit: gabriele-malaspina-