Commercial director of Alape Michael Gatzke said the brand was heading in the right direction, following its acquisition by the Roca Group.

Speaking at the hotel design show HIX, where it was showing as part of the Roca Group,  he said becoming part of a larger organisation was a “big step change” for the German company, which is growing its international business.

Rescued from a preliminary insolvency by Roca Group, earlier this year, stainless steel basin brand Alape sits at the premium end of the portfolio which includes Laufen and Roca in the UK.

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Revealing its Tendo, Nib and Tricolour basins at HIX, Michael Gatzke said: “There’s only one way to go – the right direction.”

Brand marketing manager of Laufen and Alape Emma Mottram stated Alape had a growth target for next year: “Obviously the uncertainty of the brand created a slight decline and with that now we can build.”

“The three new novelties really show design and innovation didn’t stop. That’s what I love. In a period of uncertainty, this was still going on behind the scenes. So Alape can only grow; it is on the way up. We’ve weathered the storm.”

Alape has around 40 retailers in the UK, having reduced the network by two-thirds, for a more focused approach.

Emma Mottram explained it will take learnings from the Roca Group retail strategy to nuture a display environment for Alape in bathroom showrooms.

Stating the brand wasn’t looking to reach a “magic” number of retailers, she commented: “It’s about working with the people that already know the brand, because we’ve never acquired a company that already exists, in the UK, to the level that Alape does

“There’s retailers out there that we are learning from, because they’ve been working with Michael and the brand for years.”

But, she added, equally there are retailers who sell Laufen and Roca and could also stretch to sell Alape, “It’s a good synergy. But we’re not going to flood the market with Alape retailers.”

Looking ahead to ISH in Frankfurt in March 2025, Michael Gatzke stated: “It will be another milestone to show that the [Alape] brand is alive.”