HEATING OUR FRIEND’S ELECTRIC
Radiator maker Stelrad has launched a series of electric radiators, to better meet the changing demands of the market. Fiona Russell Horne went to find out more.
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hroughout our 87 years of business, Stelrad has continued to invest.” So says Stelrad head of marketing Chris Harvey, unveiling the radiator manufacturer’s latest venture – its first step into the electric radiator market. However, as Harvey goes onto explain, it’s not just a case of dipping a toe in the water, Stelrad is going into the market wholeheartedly, with a dozen or so different models and sizes, suitable for a range of rooms, and including towel rails for bathrooms and en-suites.
Market leader in hydraulic steel panel radiators in the UK, Stelrad’s entry into the burgeoning electric market was given a huge boost with its acquisition of DL Radiators last year. Harvey says: “DL already had a lot of electric technology in its portfolio, and while this was a type of product I was looking for pre-Covid, our acquisition of DL helped speed up the process.“
The new range includes the Stelrad Electric Column – a rounded vertical tube column radiator in three sizes, the Stelrad Electric Agata and the Agata E-Flow - a straight, flat tube towel rail design, featuring five banks of three tubes with spaces between each bank. The E-Flow towel rails in the range feature a fan heater at the base of the towel rail and include manual controls.
On the aluminium front, there’s the Stelrad 34
Electric Alu Simple Dry and Simple Fluid - available in three sizes in either white or anthracite grey. The Stelrad Electric Cobalto and Cobalto E-Flow – a flat tube towel rail which also features a fan heater at its base and manual controls for individual use of the towel rail, the fan heater, or both together. Meanwhile, the Stelrad Electric Fantasia is a mirage of a tubular towel rail – available in white or anthracite to match or contrast with colour schemes and designs in the home.
Opportunity knocks
In 2020, the electric market was 2.3 million units, and it is growing. While hydraulic radiators are still a huge part of the market, and of Stelrad’s product offer going forward, Harvey says that electric takes the company into new areas, opening up opportunities where hydraulic would never be sold. “Since I’ve been involved with electric, I’ve come across opportunities where hydraulic would never have been installed, such as outhouses or extensions,” he says, adding that electric complements Stelrad’s objective to address decarbonisation and changing regulation within the industry.
Harvey continues: “Our head office is in Newcastle and we have our UK production facilities in South Yorkshire. We have other sites in Denmark, Holland, Turkey and Northern Italy. Each of the sites have been
invested in over the years because we are a full production facility. We buy the steel, cut, well, press, paint, pack, store and ship all our products. Each manufacturing site has its own distribution home, in the UK, for example, we have the National Distribution Centre which holds over 350,000 products at a time. One of our USPs is stock – we’ve got loads of stock and we always have done. We prepared for Brexit with a good amount of stock and then covid started and it gave us a good USP in the market. The same philosophy is going to be used for electric – if our customers want us to supply one, we’ll supply one, if they want us to supply 10, we’ll supply 10.” Investment in hydraulic is still essential for Stelrad to stay in the market, Harvey continues. However, the move to the electric market opens up new possibilities for market channels, such as electrical distributors, a new customer area. “This move could also open opportunities to work with general builders merchants, whether nationals, independent merchants or buying groups,” he says. “We’ve not only invested in the product but also the people - we have two sales teams and technical support in the office. Stelrad is committed to diversifying into new markets and channels. It is a big step for Stelrad because up until now we have been a 100% hydraulic manufacturer and this launch is the start of a new journey for us.” BMJ
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net November 2023
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