Kitchen Things

What Kitchen Things does

Kitchen Things is a New Zealand privately-held specialty retailer, founded in 1985/1986 and headquartered in Auckland, that sells premium European kitchen and laundry appliances to residential homeowners across New Zealand, with a secondary commercial division serving hospitality customers. The product portfolio spans built-in and freestanding cooking (ovens, cooktops, rangehoods, dishwashers, blast chillers, warming drawers, built-in coffee machines), refrigeration (fridges, freezers, fridge freezers, wine and beverage cabinets), laundry (washing machines, dryers), sinks and taps, small appliances (kettles, mixers, toasters, blenders, microwaves, benchtop coffee machines), tableware, kitchenware, and waste disposal units. The business operates a hybrid retail model combining a multi-store physical showroom footprint across New Zealand with a Magento-based e-commerce website offering wishlist, product comparison, and store locator functionality, supported by Afterpay, PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Unionpay, and Poli payment integrations. Customer-facing services include in-store cooking technology consultations, sales consultations, delivery, and a content marketing program anchored on a recipe blog, with a dedicated Chinese language service page targeting multicultural customers; the Hamilton branch operates as an independent franchise. The company is privately held by the Jones family through a multi-entity corporate structure (Kitchen Things Holdings Limited, Kitchen Things NZ Limited, Kitchen Things IP Limited, and several wholly-owned subsidiaries including Baumatic Appliances and Appliance Works (2015)). On 20 August 2025, receivers and voluntary administrators were appointed across the group, causing the business to temporarily cease trading outside the Hamilton franchise, which represents a material going-concern event and the dominant context for any current assessment.

Name

Kitchen Things

Legal name

Kitchen Things Holdings Limited

Website

https://kitchenthings.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Kitchen Things is a New Zealand privately-held specialty retailer, founded in 1986, that sells premium European kitchen and laundry appliances to residential and commercial customers through physical showrooms and a Magento e-commerce platform. The group entered receivership on 20 August 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Kitchen Appliance Retail

NAICS

Electronics and Appliance Retailers (449210), Furniture, Home Furnishings, Electronics, and Appliance Retailers (449)

SIC

Retail-Home Furniture, Furnishings & Equipment Stores (5700)

akta.pro primary industry

Cooking Appliances Retail (Air Fryers, Microwaves, Toasters) (CRACADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Prep Appliances Retail (Blenders, Mixers, Processors) (CRACADAD), Kitchen Countertop Appliances Retail (CRACADAA), Kitchen Gadgets & Tools Retail (CRACADAB)

Keywords

• Kitchen appliances retail
• Cooking appliances store
• Laundry appliances retailer
• Home appliances shop
• Kitchenware retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Appliance Sales: One-time sales of premium European kitchen and laundry appliances including ovens, cooktops, rangehoods, dishwashers, refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, dryers, sinks, taps, and small appliances.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kitchen Things is a New Zealand retailer that sells premium European kitchen, cooking, refrigeration, laundry, and small appliances through physical showrooms and an e-commerce website. The company also offers sinks, taps, tableware, kitchenware, and waste disposal products, supported by in-store cooking technology consultations, sales consultations, and delivery services. Its customer base is primarily residential homeowners, with a secondary commercial division serving hospitality businesses.

Product overview

Kitchen Things is a New Zealand owned and operated retailer specializing in premium European kitchen appliances since 1986. The company operates as a multi-category retail platform offering a comprehensive portfolio of kitchen, cooking, refrigeration, and laundry products. Their product ecosystem includes built-in appliances (wall ovens, cooktops, rangehoods, dishwashers, built-in coffee machines, blast chillers, warming drawers), freestanding appliances, refrigeration (fridge freezers, fridges, freezers, wine and beverage cabinets), laundry equipment (washing machines, dryers), and a wide range of small appliances (kettles, stand mixers, toasters, blenders, microwaves, coffee machines). The company also offers complementary products including sinks, taps, tableware, and kitchenware. Services include delivery, in-store cooking technology consultations, sales consultations, and a product comparison feature. As of August 2025, the company and several related entities entered receivership with voluntary administrators appointed.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wall Ovens - Standard (60x60cm)

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Noel Leeming: Major NZ consumer electronics and home appliance retailer operating multi-store showrooms plus e-commerce. Directly comparable to Kitchen Things as a destination for major kitchen and laundry appliance purchases in New Zealand, with overlapping premium-brand assortment and similar residential customer base.
• Harvey Norman (NZ): Large NZ/AU franchise retailer of furniture, home appliances and electronics with extensive showroom network. Competes head-on with Kitchen Things in ovens, cooktops, refrigeration and laundry, including premium European brands, and serves the same residential renovation and new-home buyer.
• Smiths City: NZ-focused home appliance and electronics retailer with both physical stores and online presence. Comparable as a same-geography appliance destination catering to homeowners and trade customers across cooking, refrigeration and laundry categories.
• The Warehouse: Mass-market NZ general merchandise retailer carrying small kitchen appliances, cookware and some major appliances. A peer because it competes for the same household appliance wallet, although positioned at value rather than premium tiers relative to Kitchen Things.
• Briscoes (Briscoe Group): NZ home goods retailer (Briscoes and Rebel Sport banners) selling kitchenware, small appliances and homeware. Comparable as a destination for kitchen and household product purchases, though it skews more towards smaller-ticket items versus Kitchen Things' major-appliance focus.
• Appliance Plus / Mitre 10 (Appliance categories): NZ home improvement and trade retailer (Mitre 10 and associated appliance specialists) offering major kitchen and laundry appliances alongside renovation supplies. Comparable as an NZ appliance retailer with showrooms serving both DIY renovators and trade customers.

Emerging players

• Fisher & Paykel (retail operations): NZ-based premium appliance manufacturer that also sells direct and through owned/partner showrooms. Comparable to Kitchen Things because it occupies the premium built-in appliance category and increasingly competes with multi-brand retailers via direct channels in the same NZ market.

Others

• Smeg (retail distribution): Italian premium appliance brand. Relevant because Kitchen Things is a primary Smeg retail partner in NZ (Pyrolytic oven content referenced on the Kitchen Things site); represents both a key supplier relationship and an emerging direct-to-consumer competitor that could disintermediate NZ retailers.
• Miele (NZ): German premium appliance manufacturer with its own Australasian showroom/distribution footprint. Comparable as a premium European brand that occupies the same household niche Kitchen Things serves, and is both a supplier and a direct competitor in the high-end kitchen segment.
• Bosch Home Appliances (NZ distribution): Premium European appliance brand widely stocked by NZ appliance retailers including Kitchen Things. Comparable as both a supplier to the appliance retail channel and a brand owner increasingly investing in its own retail experiences and digital channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kitchen Things