Ideal Standard has announced a review of its global brand strategy and has revealed it is making a number of changes for 2021 in what it says is an effort 'to support continued growth in the market'. The new strategy is led by the launch of Atelier Collections, as well as a series of new NPI into the full Ideal Standard range that will be released throughout the year. The Sottini brand will be absorbed into Ideal Standard in the retail market, and Armitage Shanks will remain the lead brand in the non-residential and healthcare settings. The company says that this consolidation of brands will give a renewed focus and strengthen the impact of investments across the retail, residential and specification markets.
As part of this brand evolution, Ideal Standard says it is committing to substantial investment in its support for retailers through its manufacturing capabilities and by ensuring ready availability of its stock. This is in order to provide retailers with a strong portfolio, along with service and marketing support, as the sector looks towards recovery following a particularly challenging period.
The withdrawal of Sottini from the UK retail market will be complete by the end of 2021; however, the company says that the brand will continue to play a key role across the specification market for new build homes. Ideal Standard’s sales and customer service teams will work with retailers to make this transition as seamless as possible, and this will ensure that both existing and new retailers have a comprehensive portfolio going forward, along with access to a support network. Plans to invest in its retail team with new appointments are also in the pipeline.
This new structure within Ideal Standard means that all residential products will now fall under the namesake brand, with the Palomba Serafini Associati (PS+A) curated Atelier Collections taking centre stage as the premium product ranges.
David Barber, MD of Ideal Standard UK, pictured, said: “With the confident backing of our investors who believe in our long-term potential, this consolidation of our brands under the Ideal Standard name will give us a renewed focus and strengthen the impact of our investments to support our continued growth in the retail, residential and specification markets.
“We recognise, and are hugely grateful for, the continued support that our retail and specification partners have shown us. This focussed approach will allow us to offer more dedicated support and packages than ever before, and will mean that retailers and specifiers will have access to our whole range of innovative new products in one streamlined portfolio. We will work closely with them to tailor their offering in order for them to continue to thrive and succeed.”
