As VitrA UK opens the doors to its new Engagement Centre in Didcot, Nicola Hanley talks to marketing director Ruth Davies and sales director Louise Stalker about how this new space reinforces its commitment to retailers.
For VitrA UK, the launch of its Vitality partner programme – which it introduced at KBB Birmingham last year – was a real turning point. Designed to prove its commitment to independent bathroom retailers, the scheme was key to helping the brand strengthen and regrow its relationships with them.
It has, says VitrA UK marketing director Ruth Davies, pictured left, and sales director Louise Stalker, right, been hugely successful so far, despite the challenging sales environment that it was launched into. And while retailers have been busy signing up to the programme, VitrA UK has been working on the next phase: the development of a new Engagement Centre at its Didcot HQ.
“The Engagement Centre has always been part of our roadmap,” says Davies. “VitrA UK has been on quite a transformational journey and once Steve Breen came on board and formed the new leadership team, it was always on the agenda.
“We felt we needed it to consolidate and reinforce that commitment to the independents and have meaningful conversations about the new products that were coming. But we wanted to do it properly. And it’s taken a lot of investment, not just financially but in terms of planning and people and time. We think this is a piece that we’ve been missing for that engagement with our retail and distribution audience.”
Spanning 280sq m, the new Engagement Centre features over 40 displays across 3 rooms, which also include a dedicated meeting space and workshop area. Created specifically for VitrA UK’s B2B customers, it has been strategically designed to function differently to its Clerkenwell showroom, which is an inspirational space to showcase design.
“It’s a tough trading environment at the moment and I think when it’s tough, it’s really important to invest in your brand. For us, 2026 is going to be a huge year so we’re preparing ourselves for that,” says Stalker. "The Engagement Centre represents an opportunity to bring retailers together so training will be a big focus for us and engaging with our retailers to make sure they understand what VitrA can offer. The Vitality partner programme is key to our success with our independents who remain at the heart of our business, without a doubt.”
The opening of the Engagement Centre comes hot on the heels of ISH in March, where VitrA gave customers a preview of its new portfolio, which is set to launch in 2026. Many of the products on show in Frankfurt feature in the new Didcot facility. “This gives us a space where we can have those preliminary conversations and talk to our B2B customers before going out to market with those products,” says Davies.
As well as being stylish and functional, VitrA’s new products have been designed to be adaptive. “They were very well received and I think what really came across was our ‘good, better, best’ strategy as well as our mix and match approach,” says Stalker. “Clarity is key and it’s something the customers are really seeing from VitrA now, especially as we move into next year."
“ISH for us was a real boost as it showed us that what we’re doing is being welcomed by the industry and our customers,” continues Davies. “We’re getting fit for the future. We’re investing in people, resources, facilities and product and we’re focussed on the future."
Stalker says VitrA UK will continue to develop Vitality and look at new ways to support retailers. "You’ve got to keep it moving and fresh,” she says. “You can’t just launch something and let it go stale in the market.”
The brand is also looking to grow its newest markets, DIY and e-commerce, alongside its project and retail arms. “Having the four channels is important and we make sure we service each channel well,” says Davies. “We believe we can play in all four channels but we know we have to play with care. But retail will always be where our roots are and we think there’s lots of room for growth there.”
