Waterline CEO Michael Marriott talks to Nicola Hanley about how the distributor plans to replicate its success in kitchens with the new Waterline Bathroom Collection.
When a company launches a new product or range, they are usually very quick to tell you how unique it is and why it differs from all the others already on the market. So it is somewhat refreshing that Michael Marriott, the new CEO of Waterline, doesn’t use superlatives to describe the kitchen distributor’s first bathroom collection.
“It’s something that has been a long time in the making,” says Marriott. “But it would be naive of us to bring product to the market and say it’s got a groundbreaking specification. It hasn't. They are reliable products that are fashionable and well-priced. They hit the specification and design needs of the market but we’re not re-inventing the wheel here. This is stuff that is very fashion-led and what is already selling.”
The new, comprehensive collection marks the kitchen distributor’s first venture into the bathroom sector. And with retailers increasingly looking beyond the kitchen to offer whole-house solutions, moving into bathrooms seemed a natural step for Waterline, allowing it to provide a full KBB service solution. “It had got to the point where we had retailers coming to us and saying they want to buy more from us and we just didn’t sell enough of what they want.”
Created in collaboration with industry experts – Marriott won’t share who – it consists of everything from furniture, brassware, sanitaryware and flushing systems to shower enclosures, baths and wall panelling. As well as its own-brand products, the distributor will also be supplying luxury vinyl flooring from Karndean and mirrors from Sensio.
Retailers can sell the products branded or unbranded as their own. “That’s something that has been successful on the kitchen side,” says Marriott. “I think very few people go into an independent showroom and say, ‘I want that brand of bathroom'. The reality is people go into an independent showroom and say ‘can you make me my dream bathroom’? So that’s where I think we are giving support in a way that makes sense to retailers.
The range will include traditional and contemporary products and fit into what Marriott describes as the “affordable specialist price band”. “It’s very deliberately not going to be sold online and we’ll make sure retailers can earn a full margin whether they are displaying it or not.”
What really sets the new collection apart, says Marriott, is Waterline itself. “We have close to 40 years of experience dealing with independents. We supply good, trusted products on time with high stock holding. We have a great after sales team and I think maybe that’s even more important with bathrooms than kitchens. People trust us and we have a team of people who know their customers and give a great level of service.
“We are very proud to be service-led in everything we do. I always say that as a distributor, if we can’t add anything to the experience of the retailer and support their business, we’re not doing a good enough job. I think distribution as a whole in the KBB industry is quite old fashioned and that’s something that we’re working on. It has to be something that stocks product and moves it from A to B but it has to be something that enhances the services that come with that.”
Initially the Waterline Bathroom Collection will consist of the 20% of SKUs that make up 80% of sales but once the products start selling and it has more retailer feedback, that will change. “The aim is to hit 80% of SKUs and beef up the range,” says Marriott. “Our intention in the long run is to start supplying branded products in the same way we do with kitchens. Whether it’s a price group zero or ultra-luxury kitchen, we can supply every product you need. Ultimately we want to match and mirror the kitchen offering that we have with bathrooms.”
