Export | Main Competitor Analysis Of Europe Shower Tray Market, Few Manufacturers, Many Brands

Kitchen And Bathroom Industry Mainstream Media Kitchen And Bathroom Information

Some of the data in this article are from Housetech, and we hope it will be helpful for exporters.

According to French media reports, in just ten years, shower trays made of synthetic materials such as acrylic and resin have occupied most of the French market. The market for shower trays made of ceramic and cast iron materials has shrunk.

Due to the lack of sanitary ceramics, stone and other factories in France, the products of related materials are concentrated in the southern European region. Therefore, from acrylic to PVC and other synthetic materials manufactured sanitary ware to flood the local market. Spain alone has dozens of factories, most of which are export-oriented, including shower enclosures, furniture, other bathroom fitters, etc.

Shower trays have many brands but few manufacturers

But in terms of shower trays as a category, there are many brands on the market, but not many manufacturers producing them. There are four main factories producing them, Marmite, Acquabella, McBath and F&D. The largest of them is Marmite in Poland. The company mainly OEMs for other brands and supplies to local building materials supermarkets and distributors. The company’s turnover in 2020 is 170 million euros. These four occupy a major market share in the local engineered bathroom sector, with 60-80% of the market share in synthetic shower trays.

As far as the development of the local shower tray industry is concerned, the overall sanitary ware companies that come online in the shower tray category still face many problems in actual production and are relatively less competitive compared to companies specializing in shower trays. Secondly, most of the private label shower trays are still produced in Europe. It is worth noting that the number of shower trays exported from Asia (mainly China) to Europe has a tendency to increase.

According to Kitchen News observation, the old shower chassis is gradually phased out due to the complexity of maintenance and the popularity of the minimalist style of showers. Within the last five years, the minimalist shower tray began to show growth. In addition to the original single category export manufacturers, shower manufacturers such as Laibodun are targeting this change in the European market and are beginning to bring auxiliary product categories online for their main categories. At present, a small portion of domestic shower trays are used for domestic home improvement market, and most of them are exported overseas.

Kitchen and bathroom information query customs data learned that the total value of China’s exports to France (HS: 73249000, 39221000) of plastic and cast iron sanitary ware products containing shower trays in 2020 was 98,039,292 yuan, with a total quantity of 6536913 kg.

France

A major consumer of synthetic products

France is the European country with the best integration of synthetic materials, not only for vanity tops, but also for shower trays. The increase in building material superstores has “boosted the diversification of the French sanitary ware industry” and has complemented the market beyond the original ceramic sanitary ware due to the nature of synthetic materials themselves.

So, has the synthetic material become the main sanitary ware material in France? According to the French Sanitary Association Afisb research shows that it is. But there are other studies that ceramic still holds a major market share. Afisb’s data showed that the market size of the shower tray is between 1.1 million and 1.2 million pieces, of which 45% is ceramic and 50% is the market for synthetic materials such as acrylic and resin. And the sales are about 120,000 pieces. (Quick link: Data | French bathroom market declines by 5.4% in 2020)

Synthetic shower trays are beginning to be used on a large scale in new local housing. in addition to shower enclosures replacing bathtubs, materials such as acrylic shower trays are replacing ceramic shower trays on a growing scale. kinedo is well positioned in this market.

Due to environmental requirements such as zero carbon emissions, the number of energy-intensive ceramic factories in France is decreasing. There is only one sanitary ceramic factory left on the regulation. Therefore, except for synthetic materials such as acrylic, the market share of ceramic materials is gradually shrinking. Currently, the French ceramic shower tray market is dominated by two brands: Geberit and VitrA (also doing OEM). Cast iron shower trays, on the other hand, still retain part of the market, with sales volumes between 5,000 and 8,000 units. They are supplied by Roca, Kaldewei and Bette.

Personalized demand grows in Europe

There is a big market for customization

After several years of customization ferment in the Chinese market, basically most of the major companies are offering customized solution solutions. And in Europe, the customization trend is also on the rise.

Due to logistical and after-sales considerations, existing European manufacturers are planning to further improve the wear and impact resistance of synthetic shower trays and reduce their weight. This continues to be a challenge for installers. The current popular size is 120 x 90 cm and weighs between 40 and 50 kg. However, too little weight can affect the look and feel and the experience of using it. Flight, Kinedo and Aquarine (Toplax) dominate among diverse synthetic materials such as ABS, polyurethane, recycled PET material from plastic bottle caps, resins and more. At this year’s Shanghai Kitchen & Bath Show, Kitchen & Bath Information also noted the growth in the number of transparent colored sanitary ware made of resin materials, with most bathroom cabinets and overall sanitary ware booths paired with resin material sanitary ware such as large red transparent bathtubs and dark curry transparent basins. It is reported that there are few domestic manufacturers chatting about the manufacture of resin sanitary ware.

Finally, it is worth noting that the trend of personalized demand in Europe is growing.

Due to the growth of personalized product trading, safe delivery is becoming more and more important for manufacturers due to storage and transportation considerations. In addition, for the same price, service is becoming increasingly important in a highly competitive market. At the same time, European e-commerce is pushing local sanitaryware brands to open up new sales channels.

The main competitors in the French shower tray industry : Acquabella, Agha, AKW, Allibert, Alterna, Althea Ceramica, Ambiance Bain, Aquarine, Azzurra, Bette, Bosnor, Colacril, Doccia Duravit, F&D, Fiora, Geberit, Godard Distribution , Hidrobox, Hi-Mac, Hüppe, Ideal Standard, Jackoboard, Kaldewei, Kinedo, Krone by LG Industries, Lazer, Leda, LG Industries, Lux Elements, Marmite, Marmox, McBath, Nicos (Cristalplant), Novellini, Nuovvo, Porcelanosa, Profil Concept, Profiltek, Quare Design, Roca, Samo, Sanindusa, Sanswiss, Scarabeo, Schulte, Sensea, SolidSoft, Villeroy & Boch. VitrA, Wedi, Wirquin Pro……