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INTERIORS
VitrA celebrates 30 years in the UK I
nternational bathroom brand VitrA is celebrating 30 years of supplying bathrooms in the UK.
The British bathroom world was very different 30 years ago when Levent Giray and his team brought VitrA to the UK. VitrA was one of the fi rst European manufacturers to break into the market – which was dominated by British names – thanks to its quality manufacturing, strength in domestic market leadership and innovative production capabilities. When VitrA entered the UK market in the early 1990s, the company already had 30 years of experience in ceramic manufacturing, ten years of experience in brassware manufacturing, and an enviable portfolio of products. From the start, VitrA showed commitment to acting as a British manufacturer instead of an importer. While VitrA brought new design styles into the UK, products were always produced according to UK plumbing systems. VitrA also designed products explicitly suited to the British market, such as the Chelsea and Chartwell ranges. The company was also one of the fi rst non-British manufacturers to become a member of the Bathroom Manufacturers
Association, refl ecting its
sense of duty to the UK industry. Appearances at shows such as ISH and Interbuild,
showing innovative, quality
VitrA’s London Showroom – Liquid designed with Tom Dixon takes centre stage
products, won VitrA support early on among independent
retailers. Ranges like VitrA’s
Riva, Pluto, and Berwick are still remembered by retailers who built their business on these and other ranges.
VitrA has played a key role in pivotal bathroom design developments, including wall-hung pans, which the brand has manufactured since the late 1980s. VitrA was also one of the fi rst to introduce an affordable, good-looking shower toilet option into the UK market. Not only is the popular V-Care shower toilet priced incredibly competitively, but it’s also virtually indistinguishable from a regular wall-hung toilet. VitrA has always had a strong focus on innovation. In the early days, the brand pioneered advanced manufacturing technology,
including the integration of
CAD software. In 2011, VitrA opened the Innovation Centre.
This state-of-the-art
research and development centre produces and trials new products and technologies for international markets and specifi cally for the UK market, considering the UK demands for plumbing, water variations and space requirements. Several unique solutions, such as VitrA Rim-ex rimless technology and VitrA Hygiene ceramic glaze, have originated from the Innovation Centre.
A popular bathroom range from 1990’s VitrA – Arion
Continuous investment over the thirty years allowed VitrA to lead manufacturing processes and remain hugely fl exible in logistics and supply. In the UK, this was enhanced by building relationships with the strongest British distributors – early on with
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WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK 04/08/2022 10:14 ADF SEPTEMBER 2022
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