INTERVIEW WITH BLANCO Tamsin Mills
BLANCO
BKU Magazine’s Matt Broughton speaks to Tamsin Mills, BLANCO Brand Communications Manager.
MB: How has 2024 treated Blanco thus far? TM: It’s been one of our biggest years for new product launches. Working across different trade and consumer activities to launch the products has been exciting and rewarding. At the start of the year, we launched our new drinks system, CHOICE, which is the first of its kind in the UK. The system offers sparkling, boiling hot, chilled, filtered and unfiltered water for a personalised experience. From the intensity of bubbles in sparkling water, to the exact temperature of hot and chilled filtered water and the amount of water dispensed, all of this is available at the touch of a button. In terms of function and design, it’s a real game changer for kitchen designers and hopefully inspires them to choose the right items to suit their clients’ needs.
MB: What have been the BIG moments for the company this year? TM: CHOICE has been our flagship launch this year and we took the launch to the biggest home consumer shows this year (Ideal Home, Grand Designs, Clerkenwell Design Week) as well as hosting our own Customer event. It’s been great to hear first-hand the feedback from consumers
and supporting the visibility of CHOICE at these shows has been hugely valuable to us.
MB: We’re keen to have a closer look at your water placement area; can you take us through this and what it offers? TM: At BLANCO we offer a system solution that will support any type of kitchen or consumer preference around the area that we call the kitchen water place. This includes everything from multifunctional drink systems to basic taps, sinks with numerous colour variations or great storage solutions under the sink. All of these different elements come together to form the BLANCO UNIT, an all-in-one system that combines the sink, tap and storage or waste disposal unit. We believe we can help to enhance this area of the kitchen and bring a bit more joy to the space that consumers spend most of their time at.
MB: What has the reaction been from customers to this complete solution? TM: There are certainly a number of BLANCO champions that understand the importance of the kitchen water place. We’ll continue to vocalise this importance as well as continue to provide
innovative solutions to meet consumer needs. We also offer training to our trade customers to give them confidence in selling a complete solution like the BLANCO UNIT. Our customers can book to visit the BLANCO Experience Centre in St Albans where one of our team will take them through the latest products and provide them with additional knowledge to support their conversations with homeowners looking to renovate their kitchen.
MB: Have you met much resistance to this all-in-one offering? TM: Often, but it helps us to grow and develop our approach. With thousands of customers, we know we can’t always get it right for everyone but it’s a challenge we are keen to take on.
MB: What do you think the future holds for this ‘area’ solution style? TM: We have many new products in the pipeline. We always consider how design and function can develop, whilst also bearing in mind that there are different kitchen budgets. So, watch this space, especially next year, which will be our 100-year anniversary where we’ll celebrate with some incredible new innovations.
8 BKU SEPTEMBER 2024 ANNUAL KITCHEN EDITION
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