Page 24 - LPG May 2018 Newsletter

VENDOR OF THE MONTH — continued deeper bathtubs But now with Baby Boomers starting to age we’re seeing more more and more more requests for smaller ADA-type units There’s been a a a a lot of change in in jetted tubs as well Drop-in whirlpool tubs were a a a a a a big luxury item in the the the 80s and 90s Over the the the years there was a a a a a a transition to to air air tubs And now it’s gone from jetted — — whirlpool or air air — — to to soakers Another big shift we’ve seen over the the last seven years or or so is the the demand for freestanding tubs “There’s also been been changes in the the import market Import tubs have always been been a a a a a a a presence In the the 80s and 90s it seemed that more European products were being brought in in the U S because of their design style and prestige In more more recent years we’ve seen many more more products coming in in from Asia primarily due to price And like so many others in in the the bath and kitchen industry we’ve seen customer and consumer expectations change dramatically in recent years The impact of companies like Lowe’s Home Depot Amazon and and Wayfair are so so consumer oriented — and and so so easily accessible — that consumers have become more demanding and and their expectations are much higher “ After spending years in in in another buying group Americh was approached by several of its members who were also members of OMNI LPG was being launched and they wondered if Americh would be be be interested While Paci ci ci says the the rst few years were rather slow LPG has turned out to be a a a a a a a great t for Americh