With hygiene now a top priority for many kitchen and bathroom designers, Grohe is predicting that the specification of products could change the way installers work in the future. The kitchen and bathroom products manufacturer says that it has seen unprecedented demand in the UK for its touchless and infra-red taps in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.
In the UK market, the transition to a more hygiene-focused workplace and business environment has already been in motion since the beginning of the year. Elina Enqvist-Twomey, category manager at Grohe UK says: “Feedback from the commercial market in the last three months tells us that hygiene is top of the agenda for specification, with a large proportion of projects specifying more hygiene-focused products such as infra-red taps , infra-red flush plates, and shower toilets. In recent weeks, we have seen an increase in customers purchasing infra-red taps as a result. Likewise, in the kitchen, several of our tap designs which use advanced technologies to minimise physical interaction with the handle of the tap itself such as our SmartControl kitchen mixer and Zedra Touch range have also seen an increased interest. When the industry returns to a sense of normality, we expect the increasing scrutiny of hygiene in the workplace and public buildings to continue. This pandemic has encouraged all of us in some way to rethink our hygiene practises and consider new lengths to protecting ourselves and those around us.”
And it is not just the commercial market that will evolve in the wake of coronavirus. Grohe UL’s head of E-commerce, Phil Dixon, explains how consumer purchasing behaviour has changed over recent months: “From the start of 2020, we have seen extraordinary demand for our touchless sensor products, achieving significant YoY growth. In these challenging times, people are looking for new technologies to bring improved hygiene and convenience into daily life. Products like our BAU Cosmo E tap are at the forefront of this new surge of growth we have seen as they have been designed with easy installation in mind. The battery-powered model completely eliminates the hassle and any uncertainty around the set up of electronics and it has a long-lasting battery life too. We are certain that this technology, combined with an accessible price point, are key factors in our recent growth.
“Now, with the emergence of the coronavirus crisis, we are preparing to see unprecedented demand from homes and businesses alike in the coming months as we all prepare for post-lockdown life. Alongside our touchless taps, we are also expecting to see a spike in the shower toilet sector. Sales of our award-winning Sensia Arena have been gradually increasing for a while now, but we can see its hygiene-optimising features such as automatic flushing, lid opening and anti-bacterial coating are likely to generate far greater demand in the near future. These products, along with many others we offer which promote hygiene and wellbeing, are designed to improve the daily lives of our customers and seek to instil changes in our habits for the better.”
The company says that a more conscious approach to the topic of hygiene will not only bring new challenges for designers, specifiers and architects but will also require more specialist knowledge from the installer community too, as consumers demand solutions for their home that will help them to adapt to the new ‘norm’. In recent years, the property market has seen a shift to include more alternative housing settings such as grandparents living with their children and families, or groups of young professionals co-habiting together. This is when infra-red technology first began to be demanded in the residential sector and its benefits have continued to strengthen demand ever since. Infra-red taps require minimal, if any, human contact with the tap itself unlike standard taps where germs from unclean hands could linger on tap handles, unless continual thorough cleaning was carried out after each use.
