96
SPN FEB 2012 InMyView
www.swimmingpoolnews.co.uk
‘PRICE IS NOT ALWAYS KEY IN THE SAUNA MARKET’
Shaun Adams is director in charge of saunas and steam products at Golden Coast. A member of ISPE, he wrote the original SPATA guide on sauna and steam products. Away from the office, he’s a RFU Level 1 rugby coach, coaching ‘mini rugby’
I
am frequently asked about the size of the market for sauna and steam/shower products and whether it is a market ‘worth’ getting involved in.
The answer is yes it is but you need to invest time to appreciate exactly what is involved. Unfortunately I can’t elaborate with statistical data, as our industry has limited research and data available.
What I do know is that the sales of this type of equipment forms a valuable part of our company’s turnover and profits. A sauna or steam room installation is easy when compared with a pool. They are installed indoors and not subject to weather related disruption. The costs are easy to identify and the work easy to control and therefore profitable. There are few retailers that make it their business to base a substantial proportion of their sales on sauna and steam rooms, in both the domestic and commercial market.
However, Tylö has established its business over many years and has created a position for themselves with these products. There is a market for sauna and steam products.
I believe retailers, and potential retailers, are currently in a position whereby they have to identify where their target market is and how best to reach it through effective marketing. There are various brands available for the would-be retailer to sell, each offering their own features, benefits and price points.
In my experience, the prospective purchaser of a traditional hot air sauna has a reasonable level
of disposable income and space in their house to accommodate such items, and price is often not the most important issue.
Some purchasers are looking for something more than just a hot or steamy room and want a finish and look that enhances the environment where it is being placed.
I would therefore advocate seeking a supplier who can offer a broad range of saunas and steam showers to suit the domestic and commercial market. You then gain the benefit of dealing with one supplier who offers continuity of literature, support, advice – and spare components.
There are cheap products out there which are perfectly suitable if the customer wants cheap. These brands tend to have a limited range and by definition limit market potential. This leads me onto infrared saunas. This sauna is not new but has created confusion in people’s minds.
The sauna purist would argue it is not a sauna, but a treatment room. In Germany, an infrared cabin/room cannot be described as a sauna as in their view a sauna is a room where the air temperature of the room is raised using an electric or wood fired stove. I have to say I agree.
In this environment the body sweats due to the high ambient air temperature. An infrared sauna is quite different. The infrared radiation produced from the emitters in the cabin heat the bather’s body; the air of the cabin does not get hot.
This type of technology is easy to produce and
has become identified predominantly with cheap infrared cabins produced in China. It is a completely different bathing experience (if indeed it is a bath?) and not something everybody enjoys.
However because they are usually small they can be placed easily in most houses. The key consideration for any retailer is to first identify the market. Then source products which meet the customers’ needs and expectations. Although we are in difficult economic times price is not always they key determining factor.
We have found people who are prepared to invest in a quality product that will last longer, rather than a cheaper alternative that may require replacing within a few years. So, is it worth getting involved with sauna and steam in the wet leisure industry? Yes, providing you evaluate your potential market and you source the right products. There is a lot of choice available, make sure you do your research before deciding your preferred brand. One last thing, I always suggest, where space allows, put in a display to sell from, this always helps sell the quality of the better brands when seen first hand.
There’s no substitute for touching and feeling. spn i FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
F GOLDEN COAST ( 01271 378100 :
www.goldenc.co
“A sauna or steam room installation is easy when compared with a pool. They are installed indoors and not subject to weather related disruption”
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