Q&A INTERVIEW WITH FLAIR SHOWERS Johnny O’Callaghan
Flair Showers
Matt Broughton popped over to Dublin to check out Flair Showers’ flagship Visitor Centre and HQ, see the product range in action, and try his first ever pint of Guinness (at the age of 54 no less!) He also spoke with Flair’s Sales Director, ROI & Exports, Johnny O’Callaghan.
Matt: How has this year been so far for Flair Showers? Johnny: We’re now in the UK/GB markets. We first went in 2021, and we’ve made great progress over the last four years. This year we’ve really seen the benefits of that - working with independents, bricks and mortar, bathroom showrooms and retailers - where we’ve created great partnerships and now have a very loyal customer base that uses our products on a regular basis.
A couple of the key things that we’ve added from a product point of view are that we’ve added more colours to the range - especially in our ETO 8mm framed collection - where we are now offering gun metal and bronze finishes to the frames of the product. This has been a huge plus for us.
And then, for the professional installer, back in April of this year, we launched with our roadshow a range called the Verve PRO 8 collection, and this really suits a certain segment in the market where professional building contractors want a really stylish, easy-to-assemble product. That’s again offered in three colour finishes: silver, matte black, and brushed brass.
Regarding the market, it’s been challenging. The first quarter was very sluggish, I think for lots of different reasons. We got off to a very bad start, and I’m sure there were the same storms in GB, so we lost a bit of time in the first two weeks. We made a good recovery, and April was actually a fantastic month for us overall. The second quarter was improved, but what we’ve noticed, especially in July and August, is that things have definitely been more challenging.
The feedback from the customer base is that the footfall is way down in the premises, in the showrooms and in the merchants. So, I think a lot of things outside of our control may be driving that a little bit as well, you know.
Matt: For 2025 was there a particular goal or initiative driving the business? Johnny: Yes, our big goal for 2025 was to launch our Verve PRO 8 with Click-Fit PRO. We’ve achieved that, and it’s been about getting that messaging across to a bigger and wider audience; that’s proven really popular for us. I suppose the way we view the business, 80% of our sales come from what we call our mid-level range, and roughly 20% comes from the premium
level range, so it’s so critical that we get that mid- level range correct, and that’s working really well for us right now.
Matt: How often do these big ‘moments’ occur for the company? Johnny: I suppose since 2018 we’ve brought five new ranges to the marketplace. That was a huge part of the success of the business because it gives the customer many more options to select from, so we’re not really playing in only one area; we can supply that to different channels. I suppose it was kind of extraordinary in that we launched so many ranges in a short period of time. We obviously look to the future, and we plan to launch more premium level ranges in 2026.
Matt: It seems like a lot of the products are - understandably - variations on an existing theme. Will that remain? Johnny: Exactly. We still want to keep a lot of the same design language. So, not compromising on the quality, but to look at new innovations that will help both the old customers and the new consumers make their purchases.
6 BKU OCTOBER 2025
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50
