Having gained control of Vitsœin 1995, managing director Mark Adams wanted customers to buy into Vitsœ’s philosophy of sustainability.
‘Our customers buy our product for reasons of sustainability and aethestics. There’s no doubt some people buy it because they think it’s ‘cool’ but if people simply buy it because it’s a style icon, then we’ve failed because they will throw it out when they see something else that’s fashionable,’ he says.
To ensure that customers keep their 606 systems for life, Vitsœ is continually improving the product. It also uses a sophisticated online planning tool to help each customer choose the right system for the available space.
Vitsœ has 11 suppliers around the UK, ranging from extruders to die casters, fabricators and anodisers. Working closely with each supplier, Adams and his team continually refine the quality and specification, ensuring that assembly, functionality and appearance are all improved as much as possible. This process has seen nine generations of drawer developed in the last decade, as well as the introduction of shelving components for DVDs, or re-designing small, unseen elements like connecting pins to speed up the installation process.
Vitsœ offers an installation service and also helps with reconfiguring systems or dismantling and reinstalling them when the owner moves house. But for those who prefer to install the system themselves there is a detailed but also highly accessible and user-friendly manual.
Half of Vitsœ’s customers are repeat business, and they buy because the product is completely flexible. As Adams says, ‘we work with customers who have owned the system for 40 years. They are able to call us for a single shelf to add to their system. Our happiest customers are those who have dealt with Vitsoe the longest.’
He adds: ‘We are trying to do one thing and do it well. Design is in our DNA. We spend 80 to 90 per cent of the day worrying about the way we deliver the product and looking at installation and beyond, and customers appreciate that.’
