Eight months on from unveiling the comprehensive Cameo collection, Vado’s product & marketing director Angela Neve tells Nicola Hanley more about the brand’s most significant launch.
It’s been a busy year for Cheddar-based brassware brand Vado, which returned to KBB Birmingham in March after a 10-year absence with big news: the introduction of Cameo, its most comprehensive collection to date.
Angela Neve, Vado’s product & marketing director, says the launch was a milestone moment for the brand. “Cameo represents one of Vado’s more significant milestones in our 36-year history, marking our first venture into providing comprehensive bathroom solutions.”
Founded in 1988 as Eurobath and rebranded to Vado in 2008, the brassware brand became part of Norcros PLC in 2013. Over the years the company has become renowned for quality, service and design and has grown significantly, now operating globally and boasting a multimillion pound turnover.
As well as brassware, Cameo includes bathroom furniture, ceramic and mineral basins, WCs, illuminated mirrors and accessories. So what prompted the company to expand its offering and move into new product categories for the first time? Neve says it was the direct result of growing customer demand over the last 2-3 years. “In recent times, we’ve seen an increasing number of requests from our retail and specification customers asking for Vado to expand into full bathroom solutions,” Neve explains. “Recognising this demand, we saw an opportunity to bring something new to the bathroom sector.”
Despite the scale of the collection, its development was swift. As one might expect, it was the brassware that was designed first, in late 2022, before the team turned its attention to the new product categories. “About 12 months out {from launch} our focus shifted to the furniture and sanitaryware. Despite the tight schedule, our dedication to in-house design and development remained unwavering, with a comprehensive procedure from concept to launch,” Neve says.
“By working closely with our supplier base, we ensured that every element came together, resulting in a considered portfolio of products that seamlessly work collectively.”
The reaction to the new collection has been “overwhelming”, Neve says, and has exceeded Vado’s expectations. “We have been astounded by how many of our retailers have already created such exciting and beautiful roomset designs with Cameo, in fantastic colour combinations we had not originally envisaged.”
Another big undertaking this year has been the consolidation of Vado's warehouse operations, which culminated in the opening of a new facility in Bridgewater, Somerset in June. “Vado has almost been a victim of its own success over the last few years,” Neve says. “As our sales continued to grow, the volume of shipments increased, necessitating more warehousing and operational space. Up until recently, we were operating out of five separate warehouses, adding new ones as we expanded.”
Neve says the move will streamline its services, improve delivery efficiency and future-proof the business.
And what’s next for Vado? Currently, the company is working on a simplified pricing structure, which it plans to introduce in January to make things easier for customers. It’s also been gearing up for its Christmas advent calendar promotion, which provides gifts for retailers and their staff. The design team continue to be busy, too. ”In the long term, we aim to build on the success of Cameo. We are working on a new range of furniture, which we plan to launch in 2025. Additionally, we have several exciting promotions and smaller launches scheduled to start from March next year.”
