Pool & Spa Scene: INTERNATIONAL POOLS & SPAS
Spanish Pull Together To Combat Economic Crisis
Plunged into a deep economic crisis, Spanish pool and spa companies are focusing on refurbishment and exports as a way to stem the fall of sales in the home market. Biding their time and hoping to emerge stronger from the current situation, the Spanish pool and spa market investing heavily in research, development and innovation. New business models are being shaped on sustainability and investment in employment and particularly improving worker training. The areas of swimming pools and wellness areas are traditionally major consumers of energy and water resources. Therefore, energy effi ciency as well as safety are two very sensitive aspects for fi rms when presenting their new products.
These measures not only benefi t the environment but also to the economy, as new, more advanced equipment both minimises costs and promotes energy and water savings.
Held this spring, during its annual convention, FAPS The Spanish Association of Industrial and Technical Swimming Pools and Sports Facilities, formed by the two major national industry associations of the pool, ASOFAP and ATEP, organised workshops to explore the challenges the industry has to face.
In a new style of meeting, the fi rst ever Summit Sector Pool brought equipment and component manufacturers, installers and builders came together to discuss common issues. Some 70 professionals, representing more than 50 companies, took the opportunity to develop a roadmap in order to help build a strong and solid future market, formed by competitive, effi cient and innovative companies. Patricia Ruiz, Reed Business Information Tel. +34 (0)944 285 607
p.ruiz@
rbi.es
Spanish pool and spa companies are pooling resources to try and combat the deep economic crisis gripping the country.
Italian Pool Building Dips By
The Italian pool and spa sector is stuck in a deep recession. Facing considerable cost increases for both the population and industry in energy costs and tax burdens, the downturn looks set to continue. The knock-on effect has been a fall in employment as companies struggle to recover debt or gain credit. The situation has made the pool and spa market a precarious business. Although requests for new constructions are still in demand, companies put themselves economically at risk to fulfi l those requests as they juggle the demands of receiving payments while earning suffi cient monies to pay their suppliers. This underlying current is deterring new clients from taking
the pool plunge as with an uncertain future and, feel, they need to take a rational and prudent approach; postponing decisions to purchase big items like swimming pools. An estimated 19.000 new pools were installed in 2011, which was eight per cent down on the previous year.
On the plus side, one of the biggest area of potential for improvement is the growth in the wellness market. In general, the wellness market substantially held its own, even though margins are believed to have fallen. Demand continues to grow even though the time to confi rm contracts has been lengthened. There is still room to be optimistic for the Italian market. The
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44 Pool & Spa Scene: INTERNATIONAL POOLS & SPAS
EXCLUSIVE WORLD REPORTS BROUGHT TO YOU BY POOL & SPA SCENE
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