SUSTAINABILITY Alexandra Rowe
QETTLE
BKU’s Matt Broughton spoke to Alexandra Rowe about 2024’s performance and the twelve months ahead of us.
ast year was a year of planning and laying foundations (quite literally!) for Greg Rowe, the award-winning designers and manufacturers of QETTLE. Director, Alexandra Rowe, explains: “We completed a factory move that provides us with 30,000 square feet of design, manufacturing and warehousing space. Refining our retailer offering was also a significant 2024 project; its tiered structure – Alpha, Associate & Partner - enables all showrooms, no matter their size, to partner with QETTLE in a retailer inclusive way, with protected margins, excellent display options and access to product training and technical support.” Last year’s product launches for the company included two significant debuts: the addition of coloured finishes to its entry-level QETTLE Original range, and the introduction of the UK- engineered QETTLE Signature boiling/mixer tap bundles. “We subsequently sold out of QETTLE Original taps in black and gold – retailing from £545; they combine superb value with a highly desirable aesthetic. Happily, we’ve since replenished stock! The ‘bundled’ QETTLE Signature Modern and Signature Classic boiling taps with matching mixer taps were also enthusiastically received by designers keen to be
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consistent with projects where two or more taps are required”
I ask Alexandra what customer trends drove the business throughout 2024: “Whilst our bright brass and matte black finishes are consistently in demand, it’s fair to say that copper’s popularity had slightly diminished,” she explains. “However, a large appliance manufacturer’s use of copper trim on some of its built-in ovens seemed to spark something of a renaissance, which was great to see. We were also pleasantly surprised by the popularity of our QETTLE Signature Classic 100°C boiling water tap, which we put down to the strong trends for modern rustic and cottage core, which just seem to gather momentum.” The company’s overall ‘mission’ for 2025 is to grow the QETTLE brand and sales by building on the product development and retailer relationship foundations that were laid in 2023 and 2024. “To date, we have remained deliberately under the radar, and for many designers, QETTLE is still a relatively new name, but this is rapidly changing. In 2025, we’ll be investing within both our consumer and trade-facing activities, and alongside some genuinely exciting new taps and accessories, and product improvements, we’ll be throwing the doors of our new site open. We hope lots of designers will come and see what makes QETTLE different for themselves.”
2025
QETTLE’s heritage is intrinsically linked with design and innovation. Alexandra explains: “We have never been a ‘me-too’ brand, and the first quarter of 2025 will see us focusing on some very strong, design-led projects. Aesthetically, we’ll be unveiling a capsule range of QETTLE Signature taps that are unique to us, and patented. On the functionality front, we’ll be rolling out a second- generation boiler tank. And we’ll be concentrating on building our relationships with, and supporting our increasing network of kitchen showrooms, studios and designers.”
When it comes to sustainability, the company’s new generation boiler tank is a flag-bearer, with a number of impressive features and benefits that place sustainability front and centre. But sustainability is a theme that runs through all projects: “The boiling water tap category has proliferated in recent times, but much of the attention is on the tap, with the efficiency and sustainability of the undersink components often being overlooked,” Alexandra explains. “That’s not QETTLE; with expertise in water heating and filtration as much as tap design, we also pay great attention to the design and media used within our filter cartridges, and to the filter system itself. Right now, too many taps rely on filter system housings that must be wholly replaced, rather than just the cartridge itself.”
16 BKU FEBRUARY 2025
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