Wetroom Market Report – UK 2019-2023

Key aspects covered in the report include:

• Wetroom flooring – floor formers, level access trays.
• Waterproof tanking kits – membrane systems, liquid tanking systems etc.
• Drainage products – drains/gullies, shower drainage pumps etc.
• Glass wetroom panels – free-standing, wall-mounted, frameless etc.

Areas of particular interest include:

• Analysis of market performance for 2019 and forecasts to 2023. The outlook is for good demand for wetroom products. The report analyses the key drivers and market influences.
• Wetrooms are highly versatile – there are products available which are suitable for most floor types, for installation in any room, they also offer a practical solution where ‘easy access’ is required.
• Product innovations have resulted in quicker installation times, with minimal chance of leakage. Prices have also fallen, making wetrooms a more affordable choice.
• Many major house builders are installing a wetroom in their mid-higher price properties to ‘add value’ and increase the level of ‘designer’ features. Also housing associations are installing wetrooms to enable inclusive use of the shower room.
• Wetroom growth has been good in other building types e.g. hotels, leisure facilities, care homes; key drivers being easy access and flexibility.
• Detailed market data and insight on the wetroom market by AMA Research, a leading UK provider of construction market intelligence.

Some of the companies included:-

Abacus Bathrooms, Able Access UK, Absolute Mobility, ACO Building Drainage, AKW Medicare, Alumasc Water Management Solutions (AWMS), Aqata, Aqualux, Autumn UK, B&Q, Bathroom Engineering, Bathstore, Bette GmbH & Co., Care in bathing, CCL Wetrooms, Chiltern Invadex UK, Contour Showers, Coram Showers, Crossling, Crosswater, Dallmer, Disability Needs, Easibathe, F&P Wholesale, Flair Showers, Frontline Bathrooms, Geberit UK, Graham, Heat and Plumb, Homebase, Hüppe, Ideal Bathrooms, Ideal Standard UK, Impey Showers, Just Trays, Kaldewei, Kingkraft, Kohler Mira, Kudos Shower Products, Lakes Bathrooms, Marleton Cross, Marmox UK, Matki, McAlpine, Merlyn Industries UK, Nationwide Mobility, Neaco, Nicholls & Clarke Group, Novellini, On The Level, Online Home Retail, Plumbnation, Porcelanosa UK, Practical Bathing, Pump Technology, Purus UK, Regalcare Showertrays, Ripples, RIW, Robert Lee Distribution, Robert Price, Roman, Saniflo, Schlüter-Systems UK, Screwfix, Soak.com, The Grafton Group, The PJH Group, The Saint-Gobain Group, Travis Perkins, Ultra Finishing, Unidrain, Victorian Plumbing, VictoriaPlum.com, Wade International, Wedi Systems, Wetroom Innovations, Wetroom Materials UK, Wetrooms Online, Whale, Wickes, Wirquin, Wolseley UK, and more.

The Market

• Overall market size by value, rates of change, key trends and factors of influence, estimates of market size in 2019, forecasts through to 2023.
• Shower market trends – household penetration of showers; mix of new build, new penetration, replacement and additional showers; new build trends and influences; RMI trends and influences.
• Demographic trends – ageing population, life expectancy trends, disabled population, multigenerational households etc.
• Other influences – including care in the community, increase in the Disabled Facilities Grant programme provision, revisions to Part M, simplified housing standards including age friendly housing and wheelchair user housing.
• Design and installation – ‘open plan’ living, minimalism, inclusive design, concept of a ‘water space’, complementary fixtures and fittings, gradient, drainage, waterproofing, etc.
• Housebuilding – private starts and completions, installations in new build homes and flats, refurbishment trends, wetroom household penetration etc. Social housing – completions, forecasts, Disabled Facility Grant provision etc.
• Overview of non-domestic sector – health, entertainment and leisure, education; trends and forecasts. Others include hotels, health & fitness clubs – budget sector, boutique hotels, aparthotels; installations and trends.
• Forecast of market development – short- and medium-term prospects up to 2023, performance of UK economy, impact of Brexit on housebuilding, non-domestic construction, consumer confidence & spending, lifestyle and design trends.

Product Mix

• Overall product mix – floor formers, trays, tanking kits, drainage products etc. by value and share.
• Floor formers and level access trays – key design trends, developments, influences etc.
• Waterproof tanking kits – membrane tanking, liquid tanking; trends, developments etc.
• Drainage products – square, linear, wall-mounted drains, shower drainage pumps, Bluetooth pumps etc.
• Glass wetroom panels – free-standing, wall-mounted, frame-less, trends and influences etc.
• Mix by type of installation – refurbishment and new build, residential and commercial.

Supply & Distribution

• Market shares of leading wetroom product manufacturers. Summary of 50+ other specialist suppliers.
• Review and analysis of leading suppliers, including company profile, turnover, key product areas etc.
• Distribution structure – direct sales, merchants/distributors, other chains of supply.
• Analysis of key channels and suppliers including: Direct sales – key specialists, services offered; merchants/distributors – key players, brands supplied etc.; other channels – Bathroom specialists, home improvement multiples, specialist online retailers.

The market for wetrooms has increased at a steady pace over the last 5 years and continues to grow in popularity. As an open-plan alternative to the traditional bathroom, it provides a design-led solution that is regarded as a luxurious and accessible feature in the home.

A wetroom also represents an innovative method of designing easy access and space efficient showering area in commercial buildings including hotels, the leisure industry, care homes, hospitals, schools & colleges and in non-conventional applications such as industrial and agricultural facilities where employees are required to ‘shower down’ after work.

More recent design developments have meant that there are now wetroom products available that can be used on most floor types, including concrete floors or timber joists. Prices have also fallen, and products are more widely available, making wetrooms a more affordable choice to the mainstream consumer.

In particular, with the ageing UK population and the increasing number of people with disabilities, an inclusively designed bathroom area such as a wetroom has been promoted to replace baths in UK homes. The most popular bathroom adaptations paid for by a Disabled Facility Grant (DFG) include a shower area to replace a bath or a graduated floor shower (or wetroom area).

The outlook for the UK wetroom market in 2019 is proving to be more challenging – market development will be influenced by the economic environment and the outcome of the Brexit negotiations. However, underlying demand remains positive, with overall market development expected to improve across the review period, following a more subdued market in the short term.