A number of key trends are driving the future of the kbb industry, Trend-Monitor has claimed.
At this years’ Bathroom Manufacturers Association (BMA) annual B&K Business Conference, Trend-Monitor research director Jane Blakeborough (pictured) outlined a number of key trends that are impacting the KBB market.
However, she argued that these trends are just the “catalyst” claiming that what determines the future of an industry is how businesses react to the changes in consumer behaviours.
Key trends include urbanisation, hybrid living, households are not always families, multi-generational living, young adults living with parents, single person households, pet parents, age in place, generation rent, do-it-for-me, individualism and wellness.
Here is a breakdown of these trends:
- Urbanisation – approximately 90% of the UK population lives in a city or a town, which has risen by 15% since the 1970s.
- Hybrid living – homes are becoming dual function, meaning people want places to both live comfortably and work efficiently, with four million people in the UK currently working from home, and an estimated 1.8m would work from home if they were given the chance.
- Households are not always families – there are 7.1 million households in the UK, with 70% of these being made up of families, which leaves 30% of households made up of alternative households or non-family households, which are increasing in number according to the Office of National Statistics.
- Multi-generational households – where there are three or more generations of the same family living together. There are currently 1.8 million multi-generational households in the UK with the main issue here being the lack of privacy when it comes to bathrooms, meaning that these households are installing more bathrooms.
Blakeborough explained that consumers would “continue to seek a home environment that has a positive effect on our physical and mental health”, despite whether wellness continues as a trend or not.
She concluded that the main challenge as an industry is “how to respond to that need”.