CustomersShower buyers fall into three price segments: premium, standard and value. First, the premium segment is made up of people who mainly buy in showrooms. Their goal is to provide excellent service and high performance. The second segment is called standard. Customers in this segment rely on a plumber's recommendations and emphasize performance and service. The Value segment primarily attracts customers who care about convenience and price above all else. So, they like to avoid excavation and also tend to rely on an independent plumber to select a product. The value segment corresponds to the DIY market, where people tend to shop at large retail stores, interested primarily in inexpensive models that are easy to install and also very price sensitive. ChannelThe three main distribution channels are trade stores, showrooms and DIY sheds. It is obvious that do-it-yourself shelters dominate sales of electric showers (550,000 units), which are cheap and easy to install and designed for the mass market. Next come mixer showers (80,000 units) and powerful showers (20,000 units). This represents buyers from the lower price segment. Showrooms tend to be aimed at more high-end products and higher-income customers. Here, the best-selling products are mixer showers (70,000 units), followed by electric showers (55,000 units) and powerful jet showers (20,000 units). Commercial stores are the best places for plumbers, where reliable product availability is more important than technical advice. Mixer showers are also the best-selling product here (440,000 units), followed by electric showers (330,000 units) and powerful jet showers (110,000 units). Data from CompetitionUK Marketshare shows us that the UK has five players selling over 100,000 units per year (data for the year 2000) in the shower market. These are: Triton (545,500 units), Mira (390,000 units), Ganiesborough (203,500 units), Aqualisa (122,000 units) and Masco (120,000 units). If we focus on electric showers, Gainesborough (Aqualisa brand) occupies 2nd place with 180,000 units sold, behind Triton (479,000 units). In the shower mixer category, Aqualisa is also second with 94,000 units (behind the Mira brand with 200,000 units sold in 2000). Business and Market Environment The UK shower market had (has?) great potential, with only 60% not showering. . Many homes still had archaic gravity-based plumbing and a cold water tank or cistern on the roof. A separate boiler and tank were required to store hot water in a nearby ventilation cabinet. This looks like a good opportunity. Aqualisa's reputation has always been strong in the UK..