Lifestyle is a huge factor in the way many businesses serve their customers, and supplying kitchens is no exception. NIGEL JARRETT spoke to one which began in the back room of a friend of a friend's house.

WILLIAM Fox and Paul Hogan had enough experience of the way some big kitchen suppliers operate to do things differently when they went into business themselves. They are totally dedicated to customer satisfaction, but know that sometimes consumers are hard done by.

The pair, who run Cymru Kitchens in Caerleon Road, Newport, say there is an ethos with some of the bigger firms which leads the two of them to declare: "We wouldn't want to be treated like that."

In the early 1980s they had been managers for another company when the demand for kitchens had started growing. Even then the industry was worth close on £1 billion.

"We had humble beginnings but our focus has been on doing whatever it takes to make the customer happy," said Mr Fox. "On occasions we have probably gone beyond the call of duty. Of course we have to be careful because we could be taken advantage.

"The customer's expectation is far greater than it used to be and rightly so. The skills available are more diverse and greater than they were a decade ago.

"We could be coming in behind someone who has built a house or extension or gone through more radical improvements. Invariably they have been mucked around by the builder and gone through months of headaches an stress, and because we are the last people in we are the ones they vent their frustrations on."

The company grew slowly in the first three years, then followed a period of steady growth and in last two or three years fairly consistent - around £1 million turnover a year. Cymru Kitchens thought it had reached a plateau, so brought in a general manager two years ago to focus the business a bit more.

An interesting aspect of this growth is geographical. The company sells and installs in London and says it thinks few, if any, local companies do that. Eighty per cent of its business is garnered by word-of-mouth, which it thinks is also unusual. A similar amount is done within a 35-mile radius of Newport.

"The ethos of a company in London will be very different from the way we run our business down here," said Mr Fox. "We want to get the job done and make the customer happy but the impression we get is that companies up there are willing to leave the customer in limbo for a couple of weeks while they do another job. It's something to do with their reliance on tradespeople - it's probably a different mentality."

To exploit this far-flung market, Cymru Kitchens would have to start looking at using trustworthy local trades rather then take its staff to a job, however far away.

Decisions have to be taken by all growing firms. When Cymru began, Mr Fox and Mr Hogan had everything but financial experience. They admit to being under-funded in the early days and relied heavily on a low cost base and the support of their wives.

Cymru Kitchens became a limited company just over a week ago to spread the ownership beyond the partners and to take advantage of the tax-efficiency provisions in the last Budget. Now they are looking for bigger warehousing premises.

As lifestyle demands change, so does the business. Bedrooms and bathrooms now account for 25 per cent of the work, especially the latter, and this has grown in the last four years. The firm is currently completing seven kitchens a week and employs 30, including sub-contractors.

Mr Fox said. "We have got it to this size and we are very hands-on at the sharp end, so if we want to experience significant growth it has to come from the people here."

It is lifestyle that will drive Cymru Kitchens and similar companies. Households with two incomes who want minimal duties in the kitchen - ease of cleaning, refrigeration and so on - will be able to pay for not only one but possibly two kitchens, bedrooms or bathrooms.

They will no doubt be wiser and more discerning second time around. Cymru Kitchens aims to keep up with them.