Tissino's Edward Lewis – Why family-run suppliers still matter in today’s bathroom industry

Tissino managing director Edward Lewis outlines the benefits of dealing with suppliers who are family-run businesses and the advantages they can offer bathroom retailers.

In an industry where scale and efficiency often dominate, it is easy to assume that bigger means better. Yet for many of our retailers and the wider industry, the most reliable partnerships are not forged with corporate giants, but with family-run suppliers whose priorities run deeper than profit margins. These are the relationships built on trust, shared ambition and genuine understanding of the day-to-day realities of independent retail.

Family ownership tends to shape a company’s character in ways that directly benefit its trade partners. Decision-making is faster, more agile and grounded in personal accountability. When the people making the calls are also the ones who built the business, there is a tangible sense of responsibility for every product that carries the name. It means feedback is not just heard, it is acted upon and in a timely manner. It means service issues are not passed through layers of departments, but resolved quickly by people who care about the outcome.

At Tissino, we have always viewed our relationships with retailers as long-term collaborations rather than transactions. Many of our stockists have grown alongside us over the years, and that shared history breeds confidence on both sides. It creates the kind of open dialogue that fuels innovation – from identifying emerging trends to refining product design and logistics – because there is a foundation of mutual respect and transparency. Retailers know who to call, and they know they will get an answer, often one that is a positive outcome.

That sense of continuity also extends to how a brand evolves. A family-run business can afford to think generationally. It does not need to chase every short-term shift or compromise quality for quarterly results. There is pride in building something sustainable, in every sense of the word, from product longevity to environmental responsibility. It is why more than 80% of our products are sold through bricks and mortar retailers only, as we know that builds long-term value in both the brand and the relationships.

Of course, corporate structures have their strengths: scale, resources and reach all bring advantages. But the bathroom sector remains, at heart, a relationship business. People still buy from people, and retailers rely on suppliers who share their values and understand their pressures. In that respect, family-run companies bring a level of empathy and commitment that cannot easily be replicated.

For us, that connection – between maker and retailer, brand and customer – is what keeps the industry resilient. It reminds us that progress does not always come from being the biggest, but from being the most trusted. And trust, ultimately, is something that can only be built by people who have a personal stake in every decision they make.