Interview: Why Bushboard's revamped Omega range is now ticking all the right boxes

Bushboard’s Emma-Louise Braham and Bekki Griffiths talk to Nicola Hanley about how Omega’s relaunched range better meets the needs of retailers and consumers

Last year, as Bushboard marked its milestone 90th anniversary, the company began preparing to relaunch its Omega range of laminate worktops. The move came less than 3 years after the company had reimagined the collection as it looked to strengthen its retail proposition in 2023. For Bushboard product manager Emma-Louise Braham, pictured above left, this rebrand was very much about giving Omega its own identity and differentiating it more clearly from its Options range.

“It was previously a confusing message that went out to the market as the Options and Omega brands looked very similar. They didn’t look like they had distinctive target markets,” she says. “Now they do. The Omega brand is very lifestyle focused. It’s been specifically designed to target end consumers and retailers so it is much more aspirational whereas Options has been designed to sit with the tradesperson, so it is a lot more informative.”

The relaunch, agrees Bekki Griffiths, head of brand & marketing, has given Bushboard a 'good, better and best' offering. “Options is our good, Omega is our better and Zenith is our best. And Alloy mixes in across all of them realistically,” she says.

Another catalyst for the relaunch was the demise of distributor IDS, which appointed administrators in September 2024. “When IDS went, it massively impacted the distribution of both the brands,” Braham continues. “This relaunch is about bringing Omega back to market with a refreshed identity and product range and having the right distribution partners connected to them so that the range is fully accessible to the market like it used to be before IDS went under.”

In March, the company announced that Laminates LTD had become the latest distributor of its Omega range of laminate worktops, joining Panelco, Blackheath Products, Llandaff Laminates Ltd, Mitchells Worktops, Mr Plastic, Brent Products and Decormax. Having a strong distribution network is key to making the range available to more retailers, explains Griffiths: “We’re looking to take on 10-15% more retailers for Omega this year,” she says.

In terms of the products, the new-look Omega range features 3 key collections: Sleek, Modern and Classic. The Sleek 22mm square edge collection includes 7 marble and stone inspired decors and aims to offer a low-maintenance alternative to quartz. Modern consists of 18 wood, marble and stone-effect decors featuring a 38mm square edge profile and the 16 strong Classic collection offers 38mm post-formed surfaces.

“We really focused on how those worktops mixed with frontals and the other external features in the kitchen environment including handles and taps,” says Braham. “The new decors that have been added are a lot warmer, which is very much in line with where frontal trends are going. We kicked out a lot of the cold, blue greys in favour of something more neutral and warmer. It helps us future proof for this year and moving forward because that is a strong macro trend across the industry.

“The focus of the business is on being design leaders. We don’t want to be following the competition,” Braham continues. “We want to be offering something different and unique and very relevant to what’s happening in the kitchen environment as a whole and not just looking at it as an individual component. So it’s a change in mindset for the business as a whole.” 

As well as offering full product training to retailers, Bushboard is supporting the launch with a suite of marketing materials. “We have an upgrade kit that has everything in there from sample blocks and brochures to POS graphics and swatch books and we share an online sales support deck that has all the logos and imagery,” explains Griffiths. “So it’s a step change for us as a brand in producing gold standard content to support our products. It’s about selling but offering support too to build that loyalty and encourage retained relationships. It’s about building meaningful relationships with retail partners to support them in the longterm to drive our brands out to the marketplace.”

And what has been the response from retailers to the new-look range? “It’s been received into the market exactly as we wanted so it’s been perfect. It’s ticked all the boxes and proved that we’re definitely on the right track,” says Griffiths.

Early sales have reflected this too, adds Braham. “There’s definitely been an uptake since relaunching Omega. It’s on an upward trend compared to last year so it’s seeing that continue and hoping we can claw some marketshare back.”