Frontline Bathrooms has appointed Cuba Distribution as its exclusive distribution partner for Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, with the supplier saying post-Brexit trading conditions have made securing the right partner across the Irish Sea “particularly important”.
The new partnership builds on the longstanding relationship between Frontline Bathrooms MD Darren Allison and Cuba Distribution MD Declan Boylan, who have worked together for a number of years.
The trust between the two businesses was said to be an important factor in the decision, as well as Frontline’s determination to find a partner that understood its approach to protecting the exclusivity of its AQUA range.
Going forwards, Cuba Distribution will work with Frontline on its product development, providing insight on the Irish market to the supplier as it considers additions to the AQUA range.
Darren Allison, Frontline Bathrooms’ managing director, said: “I’ve known Declan and worked with him for many years, so there is already a strong relationship and a great deal of trust there. As we looked at developing AQUA in Ireland, it was important that we found a partner who understood what we are trying to achieve with the brand. We don’t want to over-distribute AQUA. We want to work with retailers properly, giving them the support and level of exclusivity they need.
“Cuba gives us that opportunity. Just as importantly, they understand the Irish market and will be integral to our NPD programme as we look at the products we need to add to AQUA specifically for that market.”
Allison continued: “Brexit has undoubtedly created challenges between mainland Britain and Ireland, so securing the right partner across the Irish Sea was important to us. Putting stock on the ground is part of that. We want to make sure the product and service proposition works for the Irish market and, by working closely with Cuba, we can build that proposition around what retailers there actually need.”
Declan Boylan, managing director of Cuba Distribution, added: “There’s a real opportunity for AQUA in the Irish market, but it’s important that we build the brand in the right way. Retailers want ranges that give them a point of difference, but that has to be backed up by good availability, service and support. The approach Frontline is taking with AQUA gives us the opportunity to offer exactly that.
“What makes this partnership particularly exciting for us is that we’ll have a voice in how the range develops. We know our market and we know what our customers are asking for, so being able to feed that knowledge directly into future product development means we can build an offering that genuinely reflects what Irish retailers need.
“We’ve had a strong relationship with Darren and the Frontline team for many years, so there’s already a lot of trust between us. We’re looking forward to taking that next step and developing AQUA across both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.”