The impact of an ageing population on the Bathroom Industry

(31/12/2007)

This year for the first time ever in the UK, we have more people aged over 65 than under 18 and the trend is set to continue with the older population increasing 70 per cent during the next 30 years.

Such a shift in demographics has an impact on business at home and abroad and in a bid to prepare the Bathroom Industry for these changes the Bathroom Manufacturers Association (BMA) chose to look at all aspects of the changing consumer at this year’s annual conference: The Consumer – Designing for Life, Trend & Spend.

Rama Gheerawo a Research Fellow at the Helen Hamlyn Centre Royal College of Art was the first speaker of the day and began by challenging our perceptions of older people, the changes ageing present and what older people really want from the products they buy.

Rama said that 2.7 million over 55s in the UK have stopped buying products because they had difficulty using them and aspiration doesn’t fade with age, offering a key tip to inclusive design - combining style with ease of use.

Next to speak was independent Occupational Therapist Kate Sheehan who really took the Bathroom Industry to task over the design of bathrooms that older and less able people are currently faced with. Kate was quick to point out the unrealised potential of this market indicating that 80% of UK wealth is held by the over 50s but there aren’t many attractive bathrooms for less able folk.

Kate did offer hope for the future though revealing a few bathroom designs that do cater for older and less able people while still delivering stylish practicality. These bathrooms featured wall hung products, wetroom designs, trendy grab rails and generally more atheistically pleasing bathrooms that consumers can be proud of.

Neil Parker, a Senior Economist at the Royal Bank of Scotland, offered an overview of the financial climate. The upside for 2008, explained Neil, is that there will be continued strength in house prices, imported inflation pressures from the Far East, strong investment spending, stronger export markets and strong overseas investment into the UK. The downside could be the threat of prolonged financial market turmoil, the knock on effect of housing market downturn in the US, the high value of the sterling undermining manufacturing and a general US slowdown weakening global growth. He also warned that consumer spend is likely to dip in 2008.

Designer Ben de Lisi reminded delegates of the rising importance of design and how the catwalk influences all aspects of life from music to bathrooms. He also highlighted the important topic of sustainability indicating that consumers in addition to demanding style and practicality also want sustainable materials in their bathrooms such as waterproof materials from recyclable foam and flooring and furniture from natural timbers.

Ben arrived at a very important conclusion, telling delegates that designing for life doesn’t necessarily mean installing a bathroom to last a lifetime, but designing a bathroom to give the consumer a better quality of life and he said there was no reason why the UK Bathroom Industry couldn’t become the trend setter for the rest of the world.

“It’s about integrating form and function, the marriage of materials merging beauty and practicality and the coupling of technical innovations with aesthetic appeal,” Ben said.

Will Medd, a Lecturer in Human Geography at Lancaster University, spoke about the sustainability of water and water usage introducing some ideas about water efficiency in bathrooms, arguing that current approaches focus too much on water and technology, and not enough on what people do. Will used examples from a number of research projects looking at the habits and routines of water use in everyday life, bringing the bathroom to life.

Industry guru Ted Goold told delegates that if they want to profitably grow their businesses they needed to look at emerging markets such as India and China, which represent a third of the world’s population. Overall, Ted said, emerging markets constitute about 80 per cent of the global population representing about 20 per cent of the world’s economies.

But there was a warning to those brave enough to try it. Ted said it takes serious investment, offers serious challenges requires absolute commitment from the top and in short it’s not for the feint hearted.

Andy Edwards ended the conference with a hugely entertaining insight into human psychology. Andy encouraged delegates to be more aware of the effects their behaviour can have on others and he also offered ways for delegates to get closer to customers, increase sales and cut down on complaints through proper understanding of personality types.

Commenting on the 2007 Bathroom Conference BMA Chief Executive Yvonne Orgill said: “The BMA as ‘the Voice of the Industry’ preempts matters of importance and communicates them to the Bathroom Industry. The Bathroom Conference is the perfect platform for this. The theme of this year’s conference is very timely, particularly in light of recent news items highlighting how the population is ageing and growing in numbers and how this trend is likely to continue.

“Unless the Industry prepares itself for the opportunities these shifts present, valuable opportunities will be lost. We wanted delegates to leave the 2007 Bathroom Conference armed with information that will help them prepare for the future, grow their businesses and serve the needs of the consumer and we believe that this is what we have achieved.”

Related categories:  Bathroom furniture and storage   Energy management   Residential applications   Shower furniture   Special needs, elderly and disabled   Water efficiency 

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