After its major rebrand, what’s next for hib.?
To mark its 35th anniversary, hib. recently launched a major rebrand to support its retailers and empower customers. Never one to rest on his laurels, CEO Rob Ginsberg teases that this is just the start of things to come…
A major part of this rebrand is obviously the name, so can you walk me through that?
So we’re not exactly changing the name, but I suppose a brand evolution is what we’ve gone for. It’s all about the transition from HiB to hib. – or “home of inspiring bathrooms”. That reflects our commitment to delivering more than just products, it’s a brand that brings innovation, design excellence and inspiration to bathroom spaces.
So why choose now for this rebrand?
So this year does actually mark our 35th anniversary, so it feels like the perfect time to celebrate our journey and sort of set the stage for the next chapter. I think in some ways, business is a living organism, which should continue to grow and flourish. And I think this refresh of identity encapsulates the passion we’ve got for creating stylish, functional and aspirational bathrooms. We’re also reinforcing our position as a leading name within the industry at the same time.
Above and beyond just our new identity, our goal over the next year is to strengthen that retailer partnership
Aside from just the name, what other changes might retailers see?
Well, a rebrand is certainly not just about a logo. It’s got to be the whole feeling within and across the business. And, you know, we greatly value our retail partners, so hopefully this rebrand strengthens our commitment to them. Part of that is we’re going to have enhanced merchandising support – that’s more modern indoor displays, point of sale material, and signage – to enhance the shopping experience. We’re also going to have a retail handbook with essential product information and an inspirational consumer brochure as well to help customers visualise their dream bathrooms. Oh, and we’re also launching a new 24/7 online ordering and stock check retailer portal.
Given that the market’s at a bit of a low point right now, is it a challenging time to launch a total rebrand like this?
Well, what we’ve generally seen, across the whole life of the company actually, is that whenever there’s been times of recession, or if trading has slowed, those are the times that we’ve sort of doubled down and pushed on even more. We need to go out to the industry, we need to help retailers, and therefore help the industry grow. That’s what we want. It’s like a cyclical partnership.
Previously we’ve reported that hib. plans to continue its focus on colourful launches for the future. Is that still true as well?
Yes, definitely. I think it’s vital that the sort of heritage that we’ve got, of being distinctive and trying to lead on product innovation, is fundamental to the business. And whilst this is a sort of evolution of the brand, we will at the same time stay true to some of the core fundamentals and foundation of what the business has been built on.
Looking ahead, what are we likely to see coming from hib. over the next 12 months?
Above and beyond just our new identity, our goal over the next year is to strengthen that retailer partnership. At the same time, we’ll also be working to expand the product ranges with innovative new designs, to increase customer engagement through social media in the #FeelBathroomFabulous campaign and enhancing our online retailer portal with more options to ensure seamless access to stock and order.
So, now you’ve launched such a major rebrand, where do you go from here?
Well this is obviously a really exciting moment for us. And I’ve said to people that, for me, I’ve honestly never been more excited about the business than I am today. And I’d say it’s important to know that this sort of evolution is just the beginning. This is something which, really sets the foundation for future ideas and concepts. We’ve got some brilliant people, and some great minds within the business. There’s a lot of creative ideas, expertise and ambition that we are going to roll out over the next three to five years as part of this journey. It’s not just the end of a year’s worth of planning, but it’s actually only day one in terms of what we plan to do for the future.