Irish shower surround manufacturer Flair has been a highlight of a variety of  UK trade shows this year, launching channel-specific product, supported by innovative marketing campaigns. We ask national sales manager Sarah-Jane Tindall  how this has helped business

Despite the well-documented challenging market, Northern Ireland-based Flair reports its sales are still strong.

“Business is great”, says national sales manager of Flair Sarah-Jane Tindall who adds: “We had a super first quarter”.

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In fact, such is the strength of the business, adding to its acquisition of the Majestic Shower Company in 2021, Flair recently acquired  The Shower Lab, a luxury shower enclosure supplier.

Keeping the brand name front and centre at trade exhibitions – HIX in 2023, and Kbb Birmingham and InstallerSHOW in 2024 – has certainly ensured Flair is never too far from the thoughts of designers and specifiers.

Along with new and clearly defined product. launches for retail and installer channels, supported by inventive marketing campaigns, could this be the secret behind the brand’s success?

Retail focus

Supplying over 400 showrooms in the UK, Ireland, Italy and France and a refusal to sell online, Sarah-Jayne Tindall explains Flair is committed to bricks and mortar retail: “The majority of our business comes from retail. Our retail partners are very important to us, they are the people talking directly to end users.

“Working closely with them, delivering award winning products and educating them on their features and benefits is the driver of our business and our products into bathrooms.”

At KBB Birmingham, Flair extended its Harmony shower enclosure collection with Ili and Baby Ili and introduced new bronze profile finishes to meet the trend for warmer metallics in the bathroom space.

Manufactured from 6mm glass, the Baby ILI enclosure measures  1800mm high rather than its standard  ILI range of enclosures which are 1950mm high.

“ILI completes the Harmony Collection. ILI is a premium 6mm product, 1950mm high, with many of the beautiful features and benefits, customers enjoy in our 8mm collections. A fusion of original style and practical affordability.

“At 1800mm high, Baby ILI fits seamlessly under low ceilings and is an ideal solution for bathrooms in an attic or loft”, Sarah-Jayne Tindall expands.

In fact she points out these enclosures were the hero of the stand: “This year, ILI and Baby ILI were definitely the new stars of the show at KBB.

“A beautiful collection at 6mm with innovations such as the silent wheel track system and available in three colours, reactions at KBB was proof in the pudding that ILI is another show stopper from Flair.”

However, she points out new finishes were also welcomed by retailers at KBB, particularly coveted bronze finishes, which Flair has added to its modular wetroom Ayo collection and Eto shower enclosure range.

Country Bronze joins Ayo, bringing its total number of profile finishes to nine, while Brushed Bronze is the fifth finish for its 8mm shower enclosure collection Eto.

“Some may say designing a bathroom was ‘simpler’ when everything was silver. Now, there are so many colours and within those colours lots of different shades depending on the base material.

“As a leading designer and manufacturer, it is important that we keep in touch with the latest trends. Our retail partners are very thankful for the colourful offering from Flair”, adds Sarah-Jayne Tindall.

Waterfall marketing campaign

As part of its messaging to retailers, the company reimagined its communication and introduced the  Waterfall by Flair campaign at Kbb Birmingham to illustrate the harmony between nature and shower doors.

To create the imagery and video, it took an enclosure to a hidden, natural waterfall in Donegal.

Sarah-Jayne Tindall continues: “The Waterfall campaign was the brainchild of our very talented creative team at Flair.

“We wanted to do something extraordinary. Flair consistently design and manufacture new products by thinking outside the box, with Waterfall, we thought outside the box by taking our award-winning designs to the Wild Atlantic Way!

“This marketing initiative has produced the most stunning imagery that our retailers will enjoy in their showrooms this year.”

The company also created a ‘Behind the Scenes’ Video to capture how difficult it was to achieve.

Installer influence

Flair has also used video to communicate the features and benefits of its latest installer range – Verve Pro, which was showcased at InstallerSHOW.

Its Van campaign also highlights the company’s appreciation for professional installers, by providing product designed to make their jobs easier, faster and more efficient.

Part of the Flair Pro Essential Collection, Verve Pro is a range of 1900mm high doors, made from 6mm Clearvue glass, with a coating to resist the build-up of dirt of limescale.

Available in corner entry, quadrants, sliding, bi-fold and pivot doors options, all feature Flair’s Click-Fit Pro Assembly Systems which remove the need to fit screws when assembling the product frame. In addition, it provides up to 50mm door adjustment and 30mm wall profile extension to ease installation.

Sarah-Jayne Tindall recognises the importance of the installer, as part of the supply chain: “At Flair, installers are at the heart of everything we do. Innovation in the look and functionality of our products is vital and for installers the quality of materials used and the ease of installation comes high on their list too.

“Installers are highly influential in the bathroom industry. No-one is going to recommend the most beautiful product if they know the fitting of such is going to make their life harder. For this reason, we feel it’s important to talk directly to installers and educate them on all the reasons Flair is a joy to fit.”

With its clearly defined sales and communication channels, Flair has demonstrated resilience in a challenging markets, by appealing to retailers and installers. It will be interesting to see what is next from the brand.