A big effort to win back a prestige residential project has resulted in a regional developer being bowled over by our high end products.
Tulloch Homes, a regional developer working across the Highlands, have used ranges like Tempo for several years and had planned to use Ideal Standard in their Drummond Hill development in Inverness.
However, a new sales director decided to change it to Roca because she thought we couldn’t supply luxury goods – and our place in their core specification was also under threat.
Specification Manager Stephen Neville had made it a priority to meet her and try to convert Drummond Hill back to Ideal Standard, initially without luck.
But with the support of a contact in the business, she was invited to spend a day at our London Design and Specification Centre, followed the day after by a visit to our Aesth|ethics event in Venice.
Stephen said: “We spent a day in the showroom and she was in awe of the products. I think it really opened her eyes to what Ideal Standard could be.
“Then she met with Jo Edwards and Jamie Maguire in Venice, which continued the Ideal Standard showcase, where I think she was absolutely blown away.
“I followed that with a meeting in Inverness where I put together a proposal and as a result we won full share of wallet back from Roca in Drummond Hill and the sales director also wants to change up their core spec with us now.”
Products going into Drummond Hill include Conca brassware, basins, furniture and toilets, i.life shower trays with Ceratherm and IdealRail showers, along with Ipalyss basins and i.life toilets, all with a value of £90,000 over a phased development.
Tulloch Homes are also switching their core specification – used in their more typical developments – from i.life A and Tempo products to i.life B and Connect Air.
Stephen said: “It’s a good amount of money to win back when everyone feared it had been lost to Roca but there was a real danger of losing the core spec to Roca too.
“Being able to show a customer what we can do by taking them to the LDSC has a huge impact on their perception of our products.
“In Scotland, there is a lot of social housing using Sandringham toilets and that’s how many people view us as a brand.
“Working with Tulloch Homes has been a great opportunity to move away from that and show just what we can offer in the prestige end of the market.”