Following publication of a report on Luxury Kitchens, which highlighted sales had slipped for the first time in seven years, sales and marketing director of SMWF Graham Jones said: “The luxury kitchen market is more resilient than this report suggests.”

He added: “Particularly if you define luxury kitchens as being of a much greater value than over £45,000”.

And Jones explained: “At at £45,000 spend, customers will still respond to falling levels of consumer confidence and macro economic factors, such as interest rates.

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“However, if you consider the luxury market to be much higher spend than this – say £75,000-£100,000 plus, then these customers do not feel the impact of external factors.”

The report stated UK rigid brands have seen continued increase in top-end kitchen installations, against imported brands, but sector share gains have been limited.

It cited artisan players such as Smallbone “are unable to counteract the grow of small, local bespoke players.”

Graham Jones responded: “The English painted look, pioneered by Smallbone and Mark Wilkinson, has been much copied by smaller players and there is a place in the market for them.

“However, there is an element of the market that is looking for an iconic brand and is happy to pay for the original product.”

Jones added, despite the recent financial troubles of the previous owner Canburg, “sales at SMWF are strong as are forward orders”.

The business was saved from administration by Gary Barnett of Extell Development Company who purchased Smallbone of Devizes, Mark Wilkinson and Brookmans.

Jones said: “The new owner believes that the business has tremendous potential and a new strategic plan is in place projecting healthy growth.”