www.swimmingpoolnews.co.uk
Pool&SpaIndustry AUG 2011 SPN
37
SCOTLAND’S GRIZZLY BEAR BUSINESS
Award winning hot tub company based near Carnoustie puts quality, great value and service first for its Scottish customers and is proud to be a BISHTA member
H
ow did one of Scotland’s most dynamic and successful family hot tub businesses get such a name as Grizzly Bear?
Scott Jackson, who with his father Colin and a few close friends who are now colleagues, run the business at Woodhill on the A92 dual carriageway near Carnoustie, Dundee, recalls where the name comes from.
“My dad emigrated to Canada for six months at one stage,” says Scott, “and during his time out there the name stuck and seemed perfect for the new business.”
Grizzly Bear Hot Tubs are an award winning business having won the Artesian Spas dealer of the year for the UK for each of the last two years. In December 2009 at an event held in Las Vegas they were awarded the first of the Artesian Spas UK Dealer of the Year for sales and customer service.
The business started off in 2007 when Colin, who was working as a joiner at the time, saw an opening
in the market and an opportunity and started trading with Canadian Spas mainly and one other brand now no longer in production. Now the business has changed direction and all the focus is on selling and marketing hot tubs from Artesian and Premium Leisure. “We are passionate about selling hot tubs and treating our customers better than we would expect to be treated ourselves,” adds Scott. “It’s the key to our business. Word of mouth and
recommendations are important to us so an investment into the way you look after customers always pays rewards. I know it’s a bit of a cliché but customer service and attention to detail is critical in this business.”
The market, he adds, isn’t always easy in Scotland and much of Grizzly Bear’s business is in the £6,000 to £8,000 market for hot tubs. He stresses this is where the main bulk of their customers seem happy with the balance of the cost and the great value offered. They
Based at Carnoustie near Edinburgh, the Grizzly Bear business has won two Artesian dealer of the year awards
market four ranges in the popular Artesian range from the three and four-seater right through to the ten-seater model. Grizzly Bear has exclusive distribution of Artesian hot tubs in Scotland.
“Pricing is an issue and I guess up here there are market differences with the south of England say. We try and put things like free steps, free hot tub cover and lifter and free chemicals kit into a whole price package so that people who come to us know exactly what they are buying.”
The Grizzly Bear showroom is open seven days a week
Grizzly Bear joined trade association BISHTA two years ago. “I guess the first reason we were attracted to the work BISHTA does was on the training courses they offer. They were just excellent and highlighted everything we wanted to know for the business. They have such a high credibility when it comes to offering dealers training and it is something they should be proud of and rightly so. It was an excellent move for us to join BISHTA. There’s a constant source of support and help coming
through. We get the BISHTA e- newsletter every week which keeps us in touch and for a business like us up here in Scotland I think it is especially important to belong to an organisation like this which you can depend on and trust. We all need as much help as we can get these days.”
In 2009 the business moved from its Carnoustie showroom to a new purpose built showroom at Woodhill and is open seven days a week showing eight hot tubs on display. Grizzly Bear also offers its customers after sales, service, parts and accessories as well as hot tub chemicals and the Heavenly barrel round saunas. spn
i FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
F GRIZZLY BEAR HOT TUBS ( 01382 530220 :
www.thegrizzlybearhottubcompany.co.uk
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