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RAK-Sanit from RAK Ceramics: Safety has always played an essential role in our choices but this is particularly true at the present time, driven by a genuine revolution in the way we organise our living spaces around post-pandemic lifestyles.

This transformation has obliged us to contemplate new hygiene measures that enable us to enjoy our living and working spaces in total freedom and safety.  

RAK Ceramics has now launched RAK-Sanit, the company’s own health and safety revolution.

According to RAK Ceramics, the research and development laboratories of RAK Ceramics were the first in the world to supply antibacterial interior design solutions as early as 2009, thanks to the development of special certified antibacterial glazes.  ‎

Today, with the new RAK-Sanit programme, RAK Ceramics offers an even wider range of solutions for floors, surfaces and sanitary fittings, produced with glazes that reduce the possibility of contagion and therefore contribute to creating safer environments, both in residential and commercial projects. 

RAK-Sanit provides an ideal solution for domestic dwellings, modern and safer schools, public and private offices, restaurants, hotels, laboratories and, indeed, all those premises in which hygiene is of primary importance. All those places generally described as “community spaces”, in which numerous people of different ages, genders and cultures make random encounters. Inside, toilet facilities destined for use by all and sundry are increasingly in need of strong, antibacterial elements with a long product life.   

RAK-Sanit RAK Ceramics

The RAK-Sanit bactericide action is permanent, guaranteeing built-in protection throughout the entire expected product lifetime, thanks to its constant action against microbial colonisation; this technology, which has proved its capacity to reduce or eliminate the quantity of bacteria up to 99.99%, including MRSA, E. Coli, Salmonella and Legionella, actively prevents the growth of microorganisms 24 hours a day.   

In more detail, the RAK-Sanit programme comprises:

  • Solutions for floor and wall coverings in gres porcelain and ceramic, treated with an incorporated glaze that is 99.9% effective in just 8 hours. The products for floor and wall covering solutions are tested and certified* in compliance with the Japanese Standard JIS – 2801:2000 and the International Standard ISO 27447:2019.
  • Solutions for sanitaryware (WC, bidets, washbasins, toilet seats and lids, rinsing systems) treated with RAK-ProTeK glaze fired at high temperatures onto the ceramic to guarantee a smoother antibacterial surface, unlike standard ceramic material with its rougher surface.  

The silver ions bind to the cells: once inside, silver denatures the enzymes essential to the production of energy. Being unable to produce energy, the bacteria are unable to reproduce. This technology is therefore able to reduce or eliminate the quantity of bacteria up to 99.99% and its action is effective against a vast range of gram positive and gram negative bacteria, as well as fungi. RAK-ProTeK glaze has been tested by the Artest laboratory in the Italian ceramic district of Modena.

*Certified effectiveness

RAK-Sanit tiles are tested by CERFRIT Laboratory – USA, according to the Japanese Standard JIS Z 2801:2000. This Standard specifies the testing methods to evaluate antibacterial activity and efficacy on bacteria on the surface of the products.

RAK-Sanit tiles are tested by METS Laboratory – UAE, according to the International Standard ISO 27447:2019. This Standard specifies the test method for antibacterial activity of semiconducting photocatalytic materials. 

Test method for the determination of the antibacterial activity of materials that contain a photocatalyst or have photocatalytic films on the surface, by measuring the enumeration of bacteria under irradiation of ultraviolet light.

www.rakceramics.com

About RAK Ceramics

RAK Ceramics is one of the largest ceramics’ brands in the world. Specialising in ceramic and gres porcelain wall and floor tiles and sanitaryware we produce 123 million square metres of tiles and 5 million pieces of sanitaryware per year at our 22 state-of-the-art plants across the United Arab Emirates, India and Bangladesh.

Headquartered in the United Arab Emirates, we serve clients in more than 150 countries through our network of operational hubs in Europe, Middle East and North Africa, Asia, North and South America and Australia. Across our global operations we employ approximately 12,000 staff from more than 40 nationalities.

It may not have been possible to gather in numbers, but the team at RAK Ceramics certainly had much to celebrate at a socially distanced viewing of BKU Awards 2020, held online for the first time.

The champagne was flying when RAK Ceramics were declared winners of not one but two prestigious industry awards, namely Best Tiling Brand and Best Sanitaryware Brand. The Awards aim is to provide a platform to recognise the very best in the kitchen and bathroom sector, and in normal times is marked with a glittering ceremony in London. This year the ceremony was held digitally, with Alan Dedicoat, known as ‘the voice of the balls’ on the National Lottery Draw, hosting the event and RAK Ceramics watched the event ‘live’ with the team enjoying food and drinks at their own tables at their HQ in Petersfield and at a satellite location in Ipswich.

Virtual BKU awards

Commenting on the double award in, RAK Ceramics UK Managing Director, Alvin Biggs, said: “It means a lot to the RAK Ceramics team to even be shortlisted, so to scoop two BKU Awards is a delight. These awards are quite special in that the votes are made by those within the industry itself, so those who know the brand and our products best.

“2020 has certainly thrown up its fair share of challenges for all of us, so it is very nice to have reason to celebrate and a positive footing for going forward with the remainder of the year.”

Contact:

RAK Ceramics UK

01730 237850

www.rakceramics.com/uk/

Utopia Bathrooms has introduced a striking new brochure to coincide with its Summer 2020 product launch. In pride of place on the front cover is the new Azure Blue finish, just one of 11 new door finishes introduced across several of its key ranges. 

In keeping with Utopia’s promise to offer an imaginative solution for any bathroom, no matter how small or awkwardly shaped, the 234 page brochure presents the entire collection of 11 ranges in a series of beautifully styled room sets, from the most spacious rooms complete with freestanding baths through to much more modestly proportioned bathrooms including en suites and cloakrooms.

Helen Clark, Head of Marketing, comments ‘With such a comprehensive range of fitted, modular and freestanding furniture collections and an extensive array of options in terms of colour and finish, we want our brochure to inspire and delight our customers, helping to guide them effortlessly towards designing the bathroom of their choice.  We’ve included a new, easy to use, pull out section at the front presenting all our finishes and we’ve also invested heavily in new imagery, incorporating a handy ‘get the look’ guide on each page.

The new brochure is out now and is also available to browse or download directly as a pdf file from the website (www.utopiagroup.com/literature).

More news from Utopia

German bathroom manufacturer, Bette, offers its baths, shower trays and basins in over 400 colours and has launched a new colour reference fan to help retailers demonstrate the wide choice available.

The new colour fan features Bette’s most popular colours, including its shimmering ‘effect’ colours and its range of 22 matt colours. It is available free to retailers, who can also find out more about Bette’s wide choice of colours at its new website address: www.my-bette.com

Bette can create its baths, shower trays and washbasins in over 400 colours because of the way its products are made. Each item is individually manufactured in titanium-steel, before its durable BetteGlaze enamel finish is applied and fired. Bette mixes colour pigments into the BetteGlaze enamel finish, prior to application, which is why such a huge range of colours, including gloss, matt, shimmering and glittering options, are available.

Bette’s unique finish not only allows over 400 colour options, but the glazed titanium-steel results in products that keep their good looks for many years, are easy to clean, 100% recyclable and come with a 30 year warranty, making them ideal for both residential and contract projects.

22 Matt Colours

Some of Bette’s most popular colours are its 22 exclusive matt options. These colours are often selected for Bette’s flush-to-floor shower trays, as well as its baths and basins. The colours take their inspiration from natural stone colours, and also include matt white, which is becoming increasingly popular.

Sven Rensinghoff, head of marketing at Bette comments: “Coloured products can provide eye-catching dashes of colour, for example, the spotlight can be put on the hand washing area by selecting the round BetteCraft washbasin in luminous green or a soft shade of blue. Eye-catching special effect colours, such as our Midnight black glitter colour, or the ever-changing Forest colour, can create impact and visual interest that changes as the lighting alters.

“In addition to innovative and eye-catching colours, Bette also offers a wide range of timeless, discreet shades including pastels, earth and stone colours and matt options. These can help to radiate a calming effect and convey a natural cosiness and are some of our most popular colours. For example, more than 40 percent of Bette customers currently choose timeless, natural, matt colours for their Bette glazed titanium-steel shower floors.”

To find out more about the wide range of Bette colour options see https://www.my-bette.com/en/inspiration/farben or telephone 0844 800 0547 to order a colour fan.

Sleep & Eat 2020, Europe’s leading design and innovation event for the hospitality sector, will be transitioning from a live event to an all virtual event format taking place in November 2020.

“For 15 years Sleep & Eat has been the place where the hospitality design community connects, and we understand the importance of this in the current climate.  With Sleep & Eat Virtual we are excited to create an event which will enable the industry to continue to gain inspiration, source new products, expand their knowledge and network with contacts old and new,” – said the event organisers.

Uniquely, Sleep & Eat Virtual 2020 will also co-locate virtually with Decorex, Europe’s leading event for interior design professionals, to bring the industry together on 3-5 November 2020. This co-location will offer new and exciting opportunities for both events, expanding the audiences, sourcing opportunities, and thought leadership.

“For the industry to bounce back quickly there is a real need for us to come together in 2020 and discuss our future,” said Sleep & Event Director, Mark Gordon. “There is still a huge desire for the industry to be united, to be inspired, share knowledge, and spark planned and ad-hoc conversations.  Sleep & Eat Virtual will give all the opportunity to achieve this and we are very excited.”

As one of the creative minds behind Designscape, Sleep & Eat has helped to design a creative event focused on hospitality, residential, and retail set to take place 11-13 August.

“We want to thank everyone in the hospitality family for their ongoing support,” continued Gordon, “We look forward to seeing everyone virtually in November and in person next year.”

For more information, visit www.sleepandeatevent.com

See the 2019 Show Review

Having a hot tub at home is everyone’s dream. Novellini offers the chance to experience that dream at home with the new outdoor hydromassage spa, Divina Outdoor. Experts in relaxation and spa technology, Novellini has launched a new product that will not only lift your mood this Summer, it will also add a welcome highlight to your outdoor living space too.

Divina Outdoor was born out of the Divina Project in which architect Massimo Farinatti developed a collection of distinct, sharp and sleek bathtubs. Divina Outdoor is easy to personalise with three wellness configurations to choose from and state-of-the-art technology integrated within it. Features include an audio system with Bluetooth, underwater multi-color lighting, and Chromo light technology, building the perfect ambience. It has an outstanding series of 18 whirlpool, adjustable vents and 16 jet nozzles. These provide an effective massage of the lumbar, dorsal, gluteus, thighs, calves, and feet areas so you can rest your head on the comfortable cushions and enjoy the overall sensation.

Perfect for the balcony and the decking. Divina Outdoor breaks the mould with it’s minimalist and elegant aesthetic. It blends beautifully into a contemporary environment and is set apart from other products because of its durability. Made with a thermoformed sheet of Senplast, it is more resistant to chemicals, cracking, impact, and UV rays.

Step into your staycation with this compact, comfortable spa bath. UK Sales Manager at Novellini, Stuart West says “As many search for a way to relax at home his Summer, the Divina Outdoor is the perfect solution. Stylish, practical and like no other hot-tub you’ve ever experienced.”

www.novellini.co.uk

Following thorough internal discussions, GROHE has announced its decision to withdraw from participating in next year’s ISH 2021.

Three main reasons led to this difficult decision: as a global brand and part of LIXIL, the values of respect and doing the right thing remain integral to the company. In line with the efforts made during the pandemic to protect employees, business partners and customers with strict hygiene and safety measures, health and safety remain a top priority for GROHE: for employees, customers and everyone involved in the ISH fair. Secondly, the COVID-19 situation remains fragile both in Germany and many other countries throughout Europe and large events are an almost incalculable risk. Finally, GROHE found the hygiene concept suggested by the ISH organisation unsatisfactory for the brand.

Jonas Brennwald, CEO LIXIL EMENA and Co-CEO Grohe AG explains: “With great regret we have to cancel our participation in the trade fair ISH 2021 at the scheduled time in March 2021. Our customers and business partners are expecting us to create a unique brand experience with fantastic product launches and engaging with us on a personal basis during the fair. However, under the given circumstances and restrictions we don´t see this possible with a traditional fair concept.”

Nevertheless, GROHE wants to continue to create a unique brand experience for business partners and the media next year and is currently exploring an alternative concept to present its pioneering innovations, which the brand hopes to reveal in due course.

www.grohe.co.uk

More news from GROHE

About GROHE
GROHE is a leading global brand for complete bathroom solutions and kitchen fittings and has a total of over 6,500 employees in 150 countries – 2,600 of them are based in Germany. Since 2014 GROHE has been part of the strong brand portfolio of the Japanese manufacturer of pioneering water and housing products LIXIL. In order to offer “Pure Freude an Wasser”, every GROHE product is based on the brand values of quality, technology, design and sustainability. Renowned highlights such as GROHE Eurosmart or the GROHE thermostat series as well as groundbreaking innovations such as the GROHE Blue water system underline the brand’s profound expertise. Focused on customer needs, GROHE thus creates intelligent, life-enhancing and sustainable product solutions that offer relevant added value that is based on German engineering as well as globally consistent high standards for the manufacturing of GROHE products.

GROHE takes its corporate responsibility very seriously and focuses on a resource-saving value chain. Since April 2020, the sanitary brand has been producing CO2-neutral worldwide. GROHE has also set itself the goal of using plastic-free product packaging by 2021.

In the past ten years alone, more than 460 design and innovation awards as well as several top rankings at the German Sustainability Award have confirmed GROHE’s success. GROHE was the first in its industry to win the CSR Award of the German Federal Government and was also featured in the renowned Fortune® magazine’s ranking of Top 50 that are “Changing the World”.

Featuring fresh new branding and a range of new styles, CRL Stone has updated its Ceralsio brochure, stylishly showcasing the full portfolio of ceramic surfaces now available.

An essential reference guide for retailers that makes ordering simple, the new brochure is also a beautiful coffee table book for consumers to take away and browse the full Ceralsio collection at their leisure, when setting out on their journey of designing a new kitchen or bathroom.

The brochure spans 120 pages, with an at-a-glance colour palette showcasing all 24 surfaces in the Ceralsio collection, plus full colour inspirational room set photography of each surface adorning spread over double pages.

For retailers, full specification details including slab weight, dimensions and available finishes are all included, along with product order codes.

Technical details also highlight the many features and advantages of Ceralsio, along with maintenance advice, giving consumers all they need to know ahead of making their purchase.

The new Ceralsio brochure from CRL Stone can be downloaded from www.cerlasio.co.uk, or call 01706 863 600 to request hardcopies.

More news from CRL Stone

About CRL Stone

CRL Stone supplies two ranges of surfaces crafted from quartz & porcelain.

CRL Quartz is a durable engineered quartz stone, available in 32 colours, with a polished finish and in thicknesses of 20mm and 30mm. The extra-large slabs measure up to 3200 x 1650mm. CRL Quartz is non-porous, stain, scratch, heat and shock resistant.

Ceralsio is a hard-wearing and versatile range of porcelain surfaces, available in 27 colours and three thicknesses. Worktop slabs measure 3200 x 1500 mm and tiles are available in a large range of sizes from 300 x 300 mm to 1500 x 3000mm. It is impermeable, completely stain and scratch-resistant, thermally stable and shock-resistant.

Lakes, best known a UK manufacturers of showering spaces, has launched an innovative new online platform to give its trade and end user customers a personalised showroom experience – without leaving the comfort and safety of their own homes. 

The online showroom concept is a pioneering selling tool for Lakes’ merchant and retail stockists and their installer and homeowner customers. It allows its showering space products to be viewed and favourited so merchant sales and showroom staff can turn them into orders. Accessed through the stockists own website, visitors to Lakes showroom can download joint-branded brochures and ask questions directly to the stockists’ staff via chat and email. 

Earlier this week, Graham became the first merchant to go live with the online showroom on both its trade and consumer websites. Ian Kenny, Marketing Director for Graham said: “In an industry where real innovation can be hard to come by, the Lakes online showroom is a genuinely different proposition, and we’re extremely proud to be the first to adopt it. 

“It’s more than just a campaign or a gimmick for us, it’s a whole new way of working. We haven’t done anything like this before with a supply partner, but it has proved to be a fantastic opportunity not only to work closer with Lakes and to reciprocate their commitment and loyalty to us but also to help deliver something really dynamic and interesting – an industry first!” 

As well as driving product awareness and engagement, Lakes’ virtual showroom collects data which can be shared with merchants and stockists to help them close more sales and upsell complementary products such as taps, showers, grab rails and shower seats.

Mike Tattam, Lakes Sales and Marketing Director adds: “We’re always looking for new and innovative ways to support our customers and help them grow their businesses. The online showroom is an original sales tool developed by MRA Marketing, which has landed at a time when online shopping has surged and access to physical showrooms has been restricted. Our partners are eager to capitalise on the opportunity by offering an enriched virtual shop window so they can engage with potential buyers for sales and showroom staff to turn into orders. The online showroom really delivers that, and we are excited to help our customers sell.” 

MRA Marketing MD Lucia Di Stazio says: “After two years of development our online showroom product has come at just the right time for Lakes’ customers. More people than ever are using the internet for product research to help them make purchasing decisions, and fewer people are willing to travel to merchant showrooms to see products in person. The online shop window attracts visitors and turns browsers into hot leads. It’s a new and exciting era in online selling and Lakes has raised the bar on what manufacturers can do to help their trade partners sell.” 

Lakes Online Showroom is at grahamdirect.co.uk and bathroom-showrooms.co.uk. To find out more and how your business can benefit, call Lakes on 01684 853 870. 

Ideal Standard has appointed Rachel Whittaker as the company’s new Finance Director for the UK & Ireland. 

Rachel has been with Ideal Standard for twelve years, most recently working as Group Commercial Finance Business Partner in Brussels and will take up the new role on 1st July 2020. She takes over the role from David Barber, who was appointed Managing Director for UK & Ireland in April. 

Rachel Whittaker commented: “The last few months have been incredibly challenging for everyone in our sector, but our industry is resilient and will bounce back. I will be supporting Ideal Standard in driving growth throughout its business and its customer base over the next period.”

David Barber, Managing Director Ideal Standard UK, added: “We’re delighted to have Rachel join our UK leadership team and look forward to benefitting from her wide expertise and understanding of how our business, customers and other markets operate.” 

 For more information on Ideal Standard, please visit www.idealstandard.co.uk.

More news from Ideal Standard

About Ideal Standard

Ideal Standard International is a leading provider of design driven bathroom solutions. Supplying both to consumer and trade Ideal Standard create bathroom design with functional solutions to ensure the ultimate in style and flair.

As Europe’s leading contemporary brand, Ideal Standard create bathroom designs which integrate functional bathroom solutions with style. Ideal Standard is dedicated to enhancing the total environment of the consumer’s bathroom by combining innovation and beauty for a unique body and mind experience.

Ideal Standard have a raft of award winning designers to include Robin Levien, Mario Bellini, David Chipperfield and Seymour Powell.