18 minute read
THE WALL PANELLING ERA
THE NEW ERA OF BATHROOM WALL PANELLING WITH SHOWERWALL
The new range of designs to the market
The stunning Plant Wall acrylic panel Showerwall’s Breccia Marble Laminate
NEW Deco Tile Mustard to Showerwall’s Acrylic collection
Showerwall has introduced a new range of designs to the market, bringing its stylish collection of wall panelling to over 100 vibrant designs.
Reflecting the latest interior trends into its popular Laminate and Acrylic collections, the full range draws inspiration from natural materials, nature, delicate tiling details and some fun, funky and quirky designs. Ideal for homeowners looking to create the perfect sanctuary in their bathrooms.
Wall panelling has seen significant growth, with homeowners opting for its unique benefits and stylish designs. Panelling is starting to take away share from the tile market due to the rise in consumer demand and awareness of its many benefits, and Showerwall is at the forefront of this growth with its continued investment in new designs and technologies.
Key facts about Showerwall’s new Compact collection:
• Embossed to create a tile effect
• Five contemporary decors available
• Easy to fit, waterproof system
• Hygenic and easy to clean
• 30 year guarantee
As part of its new collection, Showerwall has introduced a new range structure comprising new marble decors, tile, and pattern designs to replicate the look and feel of traditional tiles and new prints and images, all of which have created an unrivalled and stunning portfolio.
Showerwall’s popular Laminate range includes four new marble designs, with each decor created to replicate organic materials. Its Acrylic range provides a truly unique offering with colour customisation available in a variety of colourways and solid coloured panels, which can be matched to a colour of choice.
Calacatta Marble Breccia Marble Tacoma Marble Veneto Marble
Also new for 2022 is the Compact Collection, with five decors available offering the real look and feel of tiles without the need for grout. Compact panels are made from a strong solid composite material, embossed to create a tile effect wall and include the stylish Dove Grey and Silver Grey, striking Midnight Blue, nature inspired Hunter Green and elegant Lily White.
Dove Grey Hunter Green
Lily White Midnight Blue Silver Grey
It’s not just the new designs that are leading the way, Showerwall has also invested significantly in its marketing to reach a wider consumer audience and grow its brand awareness. This includes a new brochure to reflect its range structure, highlighting how consumers can easily customise its Acrylic panels with different colourways, which is showcased through handy to distinguish icons. Compact Tile in Hunter Green, the latest collection from Showerwall
In addition, the new Showerwall website offers further support, making it even easier for consumers to choose and envisage how the designs could look within their home. Social media has also played a huge role in the launch of its new designs, with significant investment in its Instagram page and working with high profile influencers to create brand loyalty amongst homeowners.
To support retailers, Showerwall has also launched a new trend guide providing inspiration and knowledge for retailers to share with consumers. In addition, Showerwall has also introduced new dedicated display stands for the laminate (including compact), and the acrylic collection, which began rolling out in showrooms earlier this year.
For more information about the Showerwall wallpanelling range, visit idealbathrooms.com or call 0800 634 2600.
IDEAL BATHROOMS DISPLAYS
Being the UK’s leading Bathroom Distributor, Ideal Bathrooms understand that having up to date and attractive displays is the key to a successful showroom – generating footfall and therefore more potential customers! We endeavour to make updating your showroom, with some of the latest trends, a smooth and painless process.
Our Displays Co-Ordinator Maddie, can be contacted at displays@idealbathrooms.com or call 01908 276 408 to discuss your display queries and requirements.
Creating the Ideal display
Be Bold Be Creative
Having a display that draws customers into the showroom is essential - however striking the right balance can be tricky. Using bold colours for setting but keeping furniture simple and sleek can be a way of enhancing the display without overloading the experience. Being creative with your space will influence your customers! Experiment with layout and design - creating a customer journey, through which they will take influence to into their own homes. No two bathrooms are the same, so why should your showrooms?
Showroom trends designed for you
BELOW The NEW Victrion collection from Bayswater creates a stunning SoHo feel to any showroom. Featuring classic colours such as; nimbus white, forest green, earls grey and dark lead – paired with the marble top, this range will be an instant update for any showroom. Display Terms starting at less 80%.
ABOVE The NEW Montana range for Essential Bathrooms is sleek, stylish and clean. The range comes in three, stylish colours; light grey, gloss white and forest green – this range is so on trend, it will suit every showroom! Display Terms less 70%.
ABOVE NEW from Roca, the Ona collection oozes versatility and comfort. Ona’s furniture is available in 5 colours; matt green, dark elm and light oak, matt white and matt grey – with design inspiration from the Mediterranean. With integrated handles, soft close and fully extractable drawers, Ona will be the centre of attention within the showroom. Display Terms starting at less 62.5%. To become a Roca Dealer, please contact your local Ideal Bathrooms ASM. BELOW NEW from Ideal Standard, the i.life collection is both practical and beautiful. With accessible design, smooth, rounded ceramics – ensuring every space feels complete, with solutions for small and large spaces. Display Terms at less 80%.
Area Sales Manager picks
Anthony Walker, North West Area Sales Manager
Ideal Standard Bathroom Collection _
The Ideal Standard Bathroom Collection has been a great success with customers since it launched last year. The collection comprises of a stylish and on trend range of WC’s, furniture, brassware and baths to suit any style bathroom.
The Tesi furniture and ceramics in Silk Black is a real wow factor product which is quite unique in the market place currently. This has led to 90% of new showrooms adding this to their display offering.
Another key factor is my joint work with Lee Thompson of Ideal Standard. We have a great relationship and are constantly looking for new opportunities within local showrooms. Our joint working days on the road have helped secure new dealers and given them confidence in the brand and using Ideal Bathrooms as their number one supplier.
Gary Pusey, North West London Area Sales Manager
Tavistock Cadence Furniture _
I personally like the Cadence range from Tavistock due to its versatility. Tavistock’s Cadence furniture range is really popular this year and is almost completely customisable and has really allowed my customers to get creative within their showrooms. Adding to its existing colour range (Gloss White, Gloss Light Grey, Tundra Wood and Oxford Blue), the new finishes: Gloss Spruce and Storm Grey mean that this range can literally slot into any bay with ease.
Having 5 different handles in both Chrome and Matt Black finishes – Cadence can look completely different from one display to another. All of Tavistock’s WC’s are compatible with this range – when matched with either an isocast or ceramic basin. Every display has the opportunity to be different! You can now get a cadence LED mirror, to match the range, which includes a shaver socket and USB port – so keeping the display in the 21st century is really simple.
Left to right: Reece Moore (Showroom Manager), Karen Moore (Owner) and James Manuel (Area Sales Manager)
Tavistock Calm BTW Unit, Three Drawer Floor Cupboard & Basin Unit in Mineral Blue
IN FOCUS...
JAREN BATHROOMS
Jaren Bathrooms is a family-run bathroom designer, supplier and installer based on the Isle of Wight. We spoke to showroom manager Reece Moore about the cost of living crisis and Jaren’s plans for the future.
Q. Your family business, Jaren Bathrooms, is celebrating its third anniversary this year, what was the inspiration behind the company launch?
My dad has been in the industry for a long time, having run a bathroom fitting business for over 20 years. As a family, we saw the potential of having a shop designing and supplying bathrooms and made it a reality three years ago.
Q. Tell us about your career journey in the bathroom world.
I used to work for my dad when I was younger but decided to become a chef after school. When we opened the business, I left cheffing and came to work here. With it being a family business, it was a no brainer for me – the hours are much better too!
Q. You offer a variety of displays and brands in your showroom. How does this vast array of choice help you to cater for all your customers’ needs?
As we are based on the Isle of Wight, we have a large and varied customer base. Having all the different choices means we nearly always have something for everyone.
Q. How does your partnership with Ideal help you meet these needs?
Ideal supplies a large array of different products and brands which is brilliant for our customers. The variety means we can cater for everyone and every budget.
Q. The cost of living crisis is hanging over the heads of many across the UK, how is Jaren Bathrooms aiming to help customers through this difficult time?
We truly believe in helping out our customers as much as possible. For us that means providing great aftercare service, replacing parts as soon as we can and buying in bulk so we can pass any savings onto our customers.
Q. The Covid pandemic has forced many businesses to adapt. In this post-pandemic world, how do you see
Jaren Bathrooms evolving further?
We actually opened the business three weeks before the first lockdown, which was bad timing! That first year was tough, and we are fortunate to have grown since then. We streamline as much as possible now by only ordering in what we need and not carrying thousands of pounds worth of stock. Suppliers like Ideal help because the team can deliver stock really quickly which means we don’t have to have it sitting in our shop.
Essential Montana L-Shape Unit in Urban Grey
Q. As we’re sure you’ll agree, having a strong digital presence is essential for any bathroom business to thrive. Do you have plans to enhance your showroom’s online profile further over the next year?
It’s definitely one part of it and we do use social media for advertising our products. However, as a small company on an island, face-to-face interactions are crucial to us. Most of our customers come to the showroom to see and discuss the products, so our focus is on the instore customer experience.
Q. We have worked together for two years – how has Ideal’s support helped your business to grow?
Our area sales manager James is fantastic – he is always available, and the Ideal team are great at sorting any questions and issues we have very quickly.
Q. What do you believe are the ingredients for a successful bathroom retail business?
Exceptional customer care, carrying a wide variety of products and being organised!
Q. What bathroom trends do you see making the industry headlines in 2023?
Coloured units – the past few years have been all about minimalistic white and grey. I think we’ll see more colours in the coming year. My money is on light blue units with brass detailing.
Q. What’s the best piece of advice you would give for running a successful showroom?
Customer care is crucial. If you don’t get on with your customers, they won’t buy from you. Aftersales care is also important. We aim to do all we can for our customers and always have them at the heart of what we do.
Q. Which is your favourite, bath or shower?
Bath – there’s nothing better than a long soak at the end of the week!
Q. How do you unwind after a hard day at work?
I enjoy spending time with my family, chilling out on the sofa or heading to the pub with friends.
Q. If you could visit any location in the world, where would you go and why?
Devon and Cornwall – the countryside there is just beautiful with some great walking routes.
Q. Do you have any exciting plans for Jaren Bathrooms you’d be willing to share with us?
We’ve got a fantastic virtual reality headset at our showroom where customers can literally see our products in their bathrooms – it’s a brilliant way to visualise a new bathroom design.
NEW Essential Montana
Essential expand their portfolio with a new affordable range comprising of 6 products, available in 3 subtle, yet striking colours.
Bayswater Victrion
We are proud to extend our collection of Bayswater products with the NEW Victrion range, a capsule collection of classically inspired looks.
World Cup 2022
The World Cup 2022 is being help in Qatar this year and kicks off on 20th November. Let’s bring the nation together and support England and Wales.
RUNNING COLD
Rising cost of living
We are still experiencing a rise in energy prices and resources. With the drop in value of the £1 and rise in mortgage rates, we are all struggling. What effect will this have on our industry is still to be seen,
WHO IS... RASHPAL SIDHU
In this edition we caught up with the new Managing Director of Roca UK & Ireland, Rashpal Sidhu, to hear all about his career, thoughts on the cost of living crisis and Roca’s plans for next year.
Q. Congratulations on your new role as MD of Roca! How does it feel to be stepping into the shoes of Alan Dodds as MD after 15 years as UK Finance and Service Director for Roca?
Thank you very much! I have always been heavily involved in all areas of the company so am confident that the change has and will continue to be seamless. As such, to describe the impact of my new role, I have used the phrase ‘evolutionary rather than revolutionary’.
Q. You’ve led a very successful career in the bathroom world driving the strategic direction of Roca, and overseeing the company’s finance, customer service and warehouse operations; how has the industry changed over the years in your eyes?
Roca Group now has a large market share and our ability to meet changing retail and consumer needs has been a huge help in achieving this. Some of the key changes are reflected in our exciting new collections that address consumer interest in hygiene, sustainability, and affordability without sacrificing good looks.
Q. Who have been the biggest influences in your career?
Several people have influenced my career, but none more so than former MD, Alan Dodds. Working with him for over 15 years has been hugely beneficial to me, and a fantastic learning curve. Alan allowed a great deal of autonomy, with just the right level of advice when needed.
Q. Describe a typical day in your life
Once I have my first coffee, I check emails on my phone, followed by Teams calls with my leadership teams, then maybe a customer call, and there are some calls with my European colleagues too. Before you know it, the day is over and it feels like all I’ve done is video meetings!
Q. We can imagine you’ve had many career highlights over the years, but which would you say is your favourite?
I am most proud of Roca’s stellar growth, which has been the making of many successful careers.
Q. Roca recently launched its new high-performance collection, Ona, which is inspired by the Mediterranean. Tell us more about the key features of the range and why you believe it will be popular with consumers.
Ona is a complete bathroom collection comprising of sanitaryware, brassware, furniture and accessories in a Mediterranean-inspired finish. All the pieces in the collection speak the same design language, to create a bathroom that has a coordinated look.
Q. You’ve incorporated several different innovations into the Ona collection, such as Fineceramic® and Stonex® materials, the Everlux finish, and Supraglaze® coating.
Why is bath tech important to Roca?
It is important that our products are innovative and feature new technologies to improve the homeowner’s experience, as well as be kinder to the environment. As a group, all our brands are fully committed to manufacturing products that will stand the test of time. For instance, brassware with a quality finish – which doesn’t age or develop a patina – can only be good for the environment because consumers keep their brassware for longer, therefore reducing wastage.
Q. You recently developed a new retail strategy. Can you briefly tell us what this entails and how you hope the new strategy will benefit retailers, and their customers?
We understand the power of having our products on display, which is why we have developed our new Roca Retail Showroom programme. The retail strategy is designed to support all our loyal customers to ensure that we remain a desirable brand.
Q. The cost-of-living crisis is going to impact many across the UK. What would your advice be to retailers to support their customers?
Retailers should ensure that their customers buy the right product so they get value for their purchase – obviously I would say that this should be our brands! But for the reasons I’ve outlined above, our products offer a quality and longevity that many others don’t, particularly cheaper products that quickly need replacing.
Q. What are your plans for Roca in 2023?
We are all concerned about the economic outlook for 2023. However, this year we’ve made significant investments in new ranges like Ona, the expansion of our BDM sales team with a focus on specialists in their respective field, and a new retail strategy. I’m confident that we’ll start to see the benefits of these in 2023, resulting in another rewarding year. Looking forward, we have further very exciting new product development in the pipeline that we will be showing at ISH 2023. We are also continuing to reduce our water consumption in manufacturing and the Roca Group aims to reach water neutrality within five years.
Q. If you were shipwrecked on a desert island, what three things would you want to have with you?
BATHROOM WITH A VIEW _
The perfect bathroom can be a sanctuary for many, and the perfect bathtub can make the stresses of daily life float away. When booking a relaxing weekend getaway, a great view from the tub might be one of the things on your wish list (and we don’t blame you - it’s always at the top of our ‘must-have’ list).
We have found the following stunning bathroom scenes - do you have any? Tweet your photo of a bathroom with a breath-taking view to @idealbathrooms and you could win six bottles of prosecco!
Here are some of our favourite bathroom views we have found on Instagram…
Milton Lodge, Scottish Highlands
@miltonlodgescotland
The Standard, London
@thestandardlondon
The Park Tower Knightsbridge, London
@parktowerknightsbridge
DATE
SPLASH _
We’re flying through 2022 and it’s been great to see popular events being held once again for industry gurus to gather, network and share innovations. Although we’re approaching the end of the year, there are still a number of key dates and shows which are due to take place and you don’t want to miss them.
Homebuilding & Renovating Show in Harrogate - November 4 - 6
The Homebuilding & Renovating Show is the one-stop shop for expert advice, inspiration and product information for self-builders and renovators. Will you be attending the three-day event?
NOV jun 4
nov 19
World Toilet Day
Toilet Day? Yes, you read that right! After all, toilets do a lot for us, from taking away our waste to protecting our health and dignity – so, it’s time to celebrate them. We want to see your showroom toilet selfie but keep it clean!
FIFA World Cup begins
The global football tournament begins in Qatar! Will the England men’s team bring it home to follow in the success of the women’s Euro championship win? We certainly hope so!
NOV jun 20
nov 25
The Designer Awards
Celebrating residential and commercial kitchen, bathroom and architectural projects, The Design Awards attract leading designers, architects and manufacturers from the industry.
Christmas Jumper Day
In aid of the Save the Children charity, it is time to pop on your favourite Christmas jumper and accessories and have a team celebration. We want to see your jazzy jumpers – could you create a jumper which is bathroom themed?
DEC jun 9
DEC 18
FIFA World Cup Final
The final of the World Cup is sure to be a day to remember! The Ideal team want to see our retailers’ football skills, so share your videos with us on Twitter.
National Bath Safety Month - January
With the beginning of a new year, we want to raise awareness of the potential bath hazards and practice safety in the tub. One tip from the Ideal team is to install non-slip mats to avoid falls in the bath.
jan jun 1
JAN 8
National Bubble Bath Day
On a cold winter’s day, there is nothing better than relaxing in a hot bubble bath with your favourite book, or magazine, and candles. Did you know the first liquid bubble bath, which we are all familiar with today, was invented in 1972?
