Press Releases

The last year has been yet another good year for showers and for bathrooms; perhaps surprisingly given that 65% of British homes have a shower already. Not so surprising really, given that an estate agent friend of mine suggested the latest most important thing about selling a house after ‘ location, location, location ’is the bathroom.

Take a look round a new housing estate, at nearly any end of the market. Most new homes are two shower homes. What happens in new homes tends to work through into the rest of the market. In every home interest magazine and most makeover TV programmes the bathroom and showers are the stars.

No wonder then thatshower sales are moving ahead rapidly and this acceleration offers great opportunities for all in the bathroom business. It’s not just a fashion thing. Homeowners are becoming more shower conscious, they are taking more showers and just one shower in the home is becoming frustrating, especially in the early morning rush. Next, as a result of a house move or a bathroom makeover, the older shower is targeted for improvement. Customers want to join the power shower set. Whatever the trigger, your customers, in large numbers, are open to being sold a new shower, or perhaps, even two. We at Mira have helped this along by introducing showers, like the Gem 88, that are completely interchangeable for older models, like the Mira 88, that have been installed over the years, in literally millions of homes.

Combi boilers are another possible trigger. As you sell a combi you have an ideal time to tell customers that their boiler can provide a stunning shower to one mixer and a very adequate shower to two. With new shower models designed to work well with combis, like the new Mira Combiflow, you can offer a shower that has been designed to work with today’s modulating output boilers.

Homes with gravity fed hot water needn’t miss out either. A shower pump, installed say in the airing cupboard, can provide up to 24 litre/ minute delivery rate, enough to supply two showers simultaneously. So with a little alteration to the hot and cold feeds, you can offer a minor miracle and create a happy showering family. With the delivery available from a shower pump you have the chance to sell one shower with a luxurious ‘ drench’ output such as the Mira Realm giving a touch of class to a bathroom makeover.

Electric showers are another opportunity. For a family who has been making do with an old shower, say a 6kW model, newer models at 10.kW or more will deliver nearly twice the hot water and be a real eye-opener in all senses of the word.

Sometimes showers can be more that a fast, fun way to wash and wake up. For the elderly, a shower, designed to meet their needs, can make a huge difference to their independence and quality of life. For them, simple controls with very high levels of safety are a must. Showers, like the Mira Advance ATL Flex not only have convenient shower fittings but the temperature control can be pre-set to a safe limit so that there is no risk of the user mistakenly setting too high a temperature.

Another opportunity is to match the shower to the brassware in the bathroom. For our best selling models we have introduced matching brassware so that for an extra £160 to £250 or so, the whole suite can be given a unified look.

Don’t forget the enclosure and tray. With a wide range of styles, door configurations and dimensions it is hard to find a space where a new shower cannot be squeezed in.

One last point. Showers and bathrooms are not like a new boiler; usually a distress purchase. A new shower is a fashion choice and probably the last consideration for many people is the price. Sell up. That way lies happier customers and for you a better and more profitable job.