UK independent Steamer Trading Cookshop has announced its obtaining total shares of Kitchens Catering Utensils Ltd and its three stores located in Cardiff, Bath and Bristol will join the Steamer Trading estate as well as its online ecommerce platform.

The staff at Kitchens’ will stay put and join Steamer Trading’s payroll, however, Nicky Foster managing director and Karen Carnovale sales director will be leaving the company after 44 years and 31 years respectively.

Ben Phillips, managing director at Steamer Trading, said: “Kitchens is truly one of the most respected names in the cookware industry with a reputation for authority, credibility and service that is second to none. I was delighted that the shareholders of Kitchens, many of who will be remaining with the business, chose to partner with Steamer Trading for the future.”

Nicky Foster of Kitchens commented: “The decision to move on from Kitchens, a business I’ve been part of since I was 16, was never going to be easy. But Karen and I have worked closely with Ben and the team at Steamer Trading for many years and we firmly believe that we’re leaving Kitchens in the best possible hands.”

Karen Carnovale added “I’m very proud of everything that Kitchens and our teams have achieved over many years, and I’m delighted that we’ve agreed for Steamer to take it forward at an exciting time for the kitchenware sector.”