Daniel Abrahams

How did Used Kitchen Hub start and what gap in the market were you trying to fill?

Daniel: It started about 15 years ago with our own home renovation — we had an old kitchen to get rid of. 

I'd been a market trader from a young age and I used to do a lot of sales on eBay with clothing, so I was familiar with how marketplaces work. 

So I thought, why don’t we sell our old kitchen on eBay? I took some pictures, did some basic measurements and listed it. Someone local found it, came over, and took it away. 

I remember we had to remove the back fence to get it out! 

At the time, I was also running a business selling modular office furniture in central London. I was constantly passing showrooms and I started asking a few of them what they did with their old displays. 

The answer was always some version of “not much.”

That was the lightbulb moment. So we built a very basic website, curated about half a dozen old kitchens from friends who were also going through renovations, and started slowly. 

We haven't looked back since.

Used Kitchen Hub is an "account managed marketplace." How does that work for a showroom owner in practice?

Daniel: Showrooms are busy selling new kitchens. Planning, logistics, new customers — that's where their time goes. And most of their customer base is local, so their reach is limited. 

They don't have the bandwidth, the outreach, or more importantly the time to deal with the headaches of selling an ex-display. We fill that gap entirely. 

Many of the major manufacturers — Nolte, Hacker, and others — actively refer their dealers to us because a showroom needs to clear an old display before they can fund and install a new one. So we knock down that brick wall.

Here's how the process works: the showroom sends us half a dozen photos and their CAD drawings — which they already have on file. We create the listing, dispatch one of our professional photographers (we have freelancers across the UK), and get the kitchen live. 

We handle all enquiries, filter out time-wasters, and qualify buyers before the showroom hears anything.

Once a buyer is ready — price agreed, removal date confirmed, dismantling and delivery quoted — we arrange the viewing.

Alyson: Sometimes that's a physical visit — I always encourage buyers to get in the car and drive to the showroom if possible. 

But for customers further afield, we set up a video viewing via WhatsApp or FaceTime. 

A contact at the showroom walks them through the kitchen, opens drawers, tests appliances if there's power. That's all we ask the showroom to do.

Daniel: After that, we broker the sale, manage the payment, and the showroom receives cleared funds before the kitchen leaves the building. 

Our in-house team handles the full dismantling and delivery — the buyer pays for that — and the showroom gets an empty space exactly when they need it. Basically, it’s a one-stop shop — everyone is happy.

Alyson: And showrooms can make even more because often, homeowners might want or need extra bits for their space. Those get sorted directly between the buyer and the showroom, earning the showroom extra revenue.

How should showrooms look after their displays?

Daniel: When it comes to showrooms, displays typically turn over every 12 to 24 months — though some are left for five, six or even seven or more years. Over time, damage can build up that directly affects resale value.

For example a lot of showrooms have sample worktops from suppliers — Silestone, Caesarstone, etc. These are heavy and get placed on display trays which can scratch the worktops. 

Also, showrooms sometimes store heavy samples and brochure boxes in pan drawers underneath the hob, to keep them out of sight. Over time, the drawers and shelves can bow under the weight and get damaged.

Alyson: If there has been damage — a dent or a scratch — we log it in inspection notes under every kitchen. We want to be completely transparent with buyers so there are no surprises on viewing day.

Daniel: Showrooms sometimes use the display kitchens for staff lunches too, running the dishwasher and microwave daily. 

We'd always recommend creating a small utility or coffee area for staff instead. And don't use a display kitchen as a storage unit. Look after it to maximise the return when you update your displays.

What revenue are showrooms leaving on the table if they don’t sell ex-displays?

Daniel: We sell displays of all shapes and sizes at every price point — from half-display kitchenettes at £1,500 to premium kitchens at £180K and above.

With enough lead time, we aim to make the showroom 30-40% of RRP. If a showroom needs a quick clearance, that drops to around 25%. 

So the working range is 25–40% of full retail value. That's money that would otherwise walk out the door — or go to landfill.

Do all your customers associate with platforms like eBay and how do you cater to the ones who don’t?

Daniel: Some brands do, some don't. Our eBay shop is linked to our website but some high-end brands we work with won't go near eBay — it's seen as the used market, and that conflicts with their brand image. So we market them in a different way to our everyday kitchens. 

We create customised marketing solutions through Meta, Google and other social media, targeted at high-net-worth audiences to attract the right audience. 

How should showrooms handle their own dismantling?

Daniel: When it comes to dismantling, the details matter — you need to do it in a certain way. 

For example Quooker taps need to be depressurised, and that can take two to three hours. Or some units are glued rather than screwed — and that changes the removal method entirely. Also, appliances need special care.

Where showrooms go wrong sometimes is they'll go in with a hammer and brute force, just to get the kitchen out, without thinking about how to best approach it. 

You need the right equipment — support frames, lifting clamps, dolly wheels. The list is long, and the mistakes are costly. 

Our in-house team takes care of it, day in and day out — but showrooms that go about dismantling without a plan risk ending up with damage that wasn't there before.

How important is the sustainability angle commercially?

Daniel: It’s a great way to stand out in the market — we’re essentially helping homeowners sell their existing kitchens before installing new ones. 

I won't pretend we can sell everything — if a kitchen is too old or too badly damaged, I'll be straight with the showroom. We’d point them towards other platforms where they can try selling themselves, or simply offer it for free collection. That's just the honest answer sometimes.

But where we've really made a difference is in the showroom itself — at the point of sale. It helps more than people expect. 

Some showrooms have won jobs specifically because they offered this resale route rather than sending a kitchen to landfill. 

Their customer had visited two or three showrooms, shopping around, doing their homework. And the reason they went back and signed with that particular business? Because they could offer to sustainably rehome the customer's existing kitchen — rather than sending it to a skip or letting it get smashed up.

That customer cared about recycling, about where things ended up. And the fact that the showroom could say, “we'll help you sell it” — that's what closed the deal.

Because of this, we get referrals every day. It gives the homeowner a few extra thousand pounds and a clear conscience — and it gives the showroom a differentiator.

What's the first step for a showroom looking to clear stock?

Daniel: Reach out to us and tell us what you've got. Start a dialogue with us and we will guide you through the process. It's all about communication.

The key is to plan ahead — if you've got multiple displays, we'll stagger the removals. 

We typically recommend six to eight weeks of lead time to do it properly. The longer we have to sell, the better it is. 

We need time to measure, list, and market properly — we can't just switch it on. However, we do sell kitchens really quickly — the quickest one we sold with a deposit paid is 18 minutes. 

But that's all about planning properly and pricing it right from the start.

What do you want showrooms to know about working with you?

Daniel: We're a small team — around 19 people all in — and we’re a family business that genuinely cares about the outcome. You don't want another rep in your face; you want someone who helps and gets out of the way. So when people call us at 9pm, we pick up — we go that extra mile. 

We're not just a website and we’re not there to push or pressure. We want a relationship for years, not one-off transactions. 

That comes through in everything that we do and showrooms love that about us.