Change in the British bathroom is accelerating at a pace which has never been seen before and the BMA, at the very heart of the industry, is best placed to see what is going on.
In the last few years real innovation in bathroom product design has been motivated by three main influences, all of which are quite closely related; the market, the race to conserve water and legislation.

The market
The market has been pounded in the last eighteen months and manufacturing members of the BMA have been forced to respond quickly. The industry is oversupplied and margins have come under pressure. The recession has taken its toll and the weakest manufacturers have gone to the wall or have been swallowed up by their rivals. Remaining manufacturers have downsized and cut costs.
House building almost came to a complete standstill when the banking crisis took hold twelve months ago. Mortgages dried up and home owners got stuck fast in their existing properties. But bathroom refurbishment continued as householders tried to put value and ‘wow’ into their homes ready for the upturn. Manufacturers and retailers who catered for the RMI sector managed to keep going and some reported “no change for us”. But those in the new housing supply chain got stung and the downturn in trade was serious.
With this economic background innovation has been swift, generating interest in the gloom.
Shower enclosures, trays and shower fittings have become more contemporary and definitely more stylish with a tendency to minimalism. Taps and fittings in the UK have become increasingly continental in style with one piece fittings becoming the norm. In sanitaryware compact suites are increasingly common, servicing the requirement for ensuites. Vessel washbasins and furniture have become the focal point and spot colours have crept in to satisfy the need for a little opulence.

The race to conserve water
It’s a fact that our increasing consumption of clean drinking water in the UK is not sustainable and the pressure is on for manufacturers to develop water efficient products which do their job without the consumer really noticing any difference in their bathing experience.
The WC has been the bad boy in the bathroom for a long time and this, the most fundamental item, has always consumed just too much water. But now highly engineered and finely tuned suites with flush volumes as low as 4 and 2.6 litre have quickly appeared.
Likewise baths have had a water efficiency make over. Both steel and acrylic models are available now with volumes as low as 130 litres and yet they are still great for a relaxing soak. And in taps and showers clever technology has brought the flow rates right down.

Legislation
Underpinning the market and the drive for water efficiency are our legislators who have given further impetuous to product innovation with new regulations and laws.
The Code for Sustainable Homes, introduced last year, pushes the boundaries with water consumption targets at almost half the current 150 litres per person per day. Manufacturers are clamouring to gain market share with their particular products designed to assist developers in obtaining maximum points in Code Homes
Amendments to Part G of the Building Regulations (now promised to become law in April 2010) will set a new maximum consumption of 125 litres per person per day and, to meet the new target, will allow the use of recycled water in homes. A whole new industry will grow from this and already manufacturers are bringing innovative systems to market.

Its been an interesting and fast paced period in bathrooms and my guess is that it is set to continue.

Yvonne Orgill, Chief Executive, Bathroom Manufacturers Association.

Further Information
For further information please email info@bathroom-association.org.uk or
telephone 01782 747123 and visit www.bathroom-association.org

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