Boasting enhanced facilities including bespoke installer suites, extended product showrooms and an expanded stock distribution capability, Hansgrohe has formally unveiled its new Warwick-based UK headquarters to key stakeholders and customers.
The purpose-built UK head office facility was officially opened by Hansgrohe Group CEO Hans Juergen Kalmbach and UK & Ireland MD Jay Phillips. The new HQ is part of an overall £5m investment and a key landmark in the company’s strategic growth plans with the new head office providing 40,000 sq. ft of capacity – more than doubling the size of its previous UK HQ footprint in Surrey.
The Installer Academy
The HQ houses a purpose-built Installer Academy training centre, designed to deliver first-class, hands-on training for trade professionals. Part of strengthening its offering to the trade, which includes working closely with merchant partners, the expansion in training facilities provides enhanced access to technical support from Hansgrohe’s product experts and the opportunity for direct, practical experience across the product portfolio.
Working water walls showing the performance of EcoSmart vs standard products sits alongside brassware installation stations and visible pipework areas. Designed to give installers an all-round understanding of the products, fitting requirements and performance before they head out to site, training courses will begin later in the year.
Merchants will be encouraged to work with their customers in participating in the training, and will even be able to arrange their own training sessions. Furthermore, additional merchant support includes visits from the Hansgrohe ‘Water Wagon’ – a mobile showroom that can visit branches for staff and customer training sessions.
The Water Showroom
Designed to bring the business even closer to customers, the new premises also includes a dedicated state-of-the-art showroom space, spanning more than 4,000 sq. ft. With striking working water displays showcasing the company’s portfolio of high-quality showers, taps and accessories across both AXOR and hansgrohe brands, the new Warwick Water Studio allows customers to see and experience the extended ranges first-hand.
Where the architectural and design community is already well-served through hansgrohe’s contemporary Water Studio in Clerkenwell, central London, this new facility ensures even greater accessibility for customers from around the country to view products easily.
All beautifully displayed, ranges are shown in collections and inspirational bathroom settings. For example, emphasised in a specially constructed area, AXOR’s ongoing collaborations with global designers is clearly on display. While for hansgrohe, its shower, brassware, and accessories ranges are presented alongside its new ceramics, furniture, and mirrors for the first time, highlighting the company’s ambition to become a complete bathroom solutions provider.
UK & Ireland MD Jay Phillips said: “It is a real pleasure to open the doors of our HQ and officially call Warwick our new home. The central location, just off the M40, means we are more accessible than ever to our customers.
“And, by more than doubling the size of our previous HQ in Surrey, we can have everything available under one roof, from a spacious showroom and training, to warehousing and distribution. This will ensure we are able to best meet the needs of our busy customers and support them with their business.”
He continued: “We recently expanded our product portfolio to ensure we can provide full bathroom solutions, and, in the coming years, we have ambitious plans to take the company further forward through continued product innovation and market leadership.
“This significant investment in our state-of-the-art new head office is a vital part of making these plans a reality.”
Click here for further information on Hansgrohe and its wide portfolio of products and support services.
