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Hello & Happy December! We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Raise your hand if you're simultaneously very ready and not at all ready for the New Year. Yeah, us too.
Anyway, we would like to take this opportunity at the end of the year to express our deep appreciation and sincere thanks for your business and partnership in 2019. Here's to a wonderful holiday season with wonderful people and to a peaceful and prosperous new year for all.
Speaking of wonderful people, our very wonderful Benevolent Overlords at American Standard, GROHE, and DXV wanted to wish everyone a very merry holiday season with a bonus $5 Starbucks card for this month's tech tip – for a total of $10 – so make sure to check that out below.
Who has time for a newsletter during the busy holidays? Well, that's what the extra Starbucks card bribe–I mean, gift–is for. In any case, we hope you can squeeze in a little reading because this month's issue might even give you or your client some gift ideas. That is, gift ideas for that special someone who happens to need new plumbing fixtures and who also happens to be a little bit of a germaphobe – because this month's newsletter theme is Clean & Hygienic Products. Stocking stuffers, anyone?
Anyway, here are your "I don't have time for this" highlights:
- Price Changes for GROHE, American Standard, DXV & Geberit effective Dec 1, 2019
- Price Change for Steamist effective Jan 1, 2020
- Our fave Clean & Hygienic Products from our brands
- New Product Launch from MTI
All this and more, below.
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But first, we wanted to share some company news.
Our wonderful and beloved customer service manager Ranell Stephens has announced that she will be retiring at the end of the year. While we are very sad for ourselves, we are extremely happy for her and the next chapter in her life. We're so thankful for her years of dedication and support to Western Sales Company.
Thank you for everything and congratulations, Ranell!
If you would like to get in touch with her in the next few weeks, you can reach her at the company main number (408-353-9000) or ranell@western-sales.com.
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GROHE
Clean & Hygienic Products: Touch & Foot Control Kitchen Faucets | The gorgeous minimalist European style of GROHE kitchen faucets is already a wonderful gift – but if you choose a model with Touch Control or Foot Control technology, you're also giving the gift of added convenience and oh-so-wonderful cleanliness. These technologies are available in a number of kitchen faucet models (and Foot Control is available as a retrofit kit), but you can't go wrong with the brand new Ladylux L2 Touch faucet.
December 1, 2019 Price Change | As a reminder, GROHE's price change is in effect December 1, 2019. If you have not done so already, you can download all the documentation below:
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American Standard
Clean & Hygienic Products: EverClean Surface Technology | Now this would be a fantastic present – the classic "you don't have to clean your toilet as much" present. The American Standard EverClean Surface is so mirror-smooth that it inhibits the growth of stain and odor causing dirt, bacteria, and mildew. That special neatnik in your life will appreciate the fact that EverClean is on the entire surface of the toilet and seat – not just in the bowl. It's fired into the glaze and is a component of the seat materials so it won't wear off over time, and EverClean is standard on all decorative toilets and optional on most builder or commercial models. If you're having trouble choosing, you can't go wrong with the Vormax UHET: water-saving, suitable for all decors, and yes – very clean.
December 1, 2019 Price Change | As you read last month, American Standard's price change is effective December 1, 2019. You can download all the documentation below:
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Amber's December Dish
I did a lot of cooking that past week – you may have too – and it got me thinking about the little details in the kitchen that can lend a helping hand to the act of cooking. Naturally, I am re-imagining my Dream Kitchen nearly every time one of our manufacturers has a product update and I’ve added a new item to what I consider my “must haves”: the pot filler. After carrying countless pots of water back and forth to the stove all in the name of mashed potatoes, I’m ready to swear allegiance to the additional kitchen accessory. And it just so happens that when GROHE launched the new LadyLux L2 collection, they actually released an entire kitchen family (I know, I too am impressed and pleased!). And the pot filler (31075DC2) is a beaut, Clark!
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DXV
Clean & Hygienic Products: AT200LS SpaLet | The DXV AT200LS SpaLet integrated toilet/bidet is the very essence of cleanliness, comfort, and luxury – all in one pretty, low-profile, and minimalist package. We all know your "giftee" will love it – the real challenge is fitting it into the stocking.
December 1, 2019 Price Change | As you know, DXV announced a price change for December 1, 2019. Download the price files below:
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Geberit
Clean & Hygienic Products: Sigma80 Flush Plate | Things stay cleaner when you don't have to touch them. The Geberit Sigma80 is a truly hands-free actuator plate for your in-wall carrier system with sensor-control or auto-flush options. It also happens to be gorgeous, so check it out here.
December 1, 2019 Price Change | As a reminder, Geberit's price change is in effect December 1, 2019. If you have not done so already, you can download all the documentation below:
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MTI
NEW Product Launch | We're delighted to announce some exciting, beautiful new products from MTI. And if it feels like MTI just had a product launch, it's because they did (they're on a roll). Everything is open to order, so download the product bulletin and updated price file for more information.
Clean & Hygienic Products: Cleaning Systems | The whole point of a whirlpool tub is deep relaxation and tension relief. But it's hard to relax if you can't remember the last time you flushed the lines in the tub (eww...). The MTI Fill-Flush and Simple Touch cleaning systems have been in the MTI catalog for a while – but for those people concerned with bacteria and mold growth due to stagnant water (so, like, all of us), they're as relevant as the first day MTI introduced them. With less than five minutes and with less than 10 gallons of water, these systems provide that deep relaxation only a (very clean) whirlpool can. Ahhh.
Lead Times Update | MTI has supplied an updated list of lead times for various product categories. Note in particular that mineral composite soakers now have a 10-day lead time. Download the list here.
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Steamist
Clean & Hygienic Products: Steam Showers | I know what you're thinking – how does a "steam shower" qualify as a clean product? Well, at the risk of being too poetic or metaphorical (as if), steam is a clean product because it cleans the bather from the inside out. By increasing circulation and opening the pores, steam bathing can remove toxins and impurities from the body and skin. Read all about it here.
Steamist Price Change Effective January 1, 2020 | Steamist has announced new prices for January 1, 2020. We hope to have the price book as soon as possible, but in the meantime you can download the Excel price file here.
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SmartConnect
Clean & Hygienic Products: SmartConnect | This will definitely check all the boxes for your clean-conscious friends and family. As you read in last month's newsletter, SmartConnect is a system that allows you to connect your counter soap dispenser straight to the refill bottle, taking all the mess and inconvenience out of the refill process. As an added bonus, it will be easier to fit in a stocking than a toilet is. Read all about it below and let your Western rep know if you want to learn more.
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Tom's Tech Tip | Ladylux L2
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In 1983, GROHE introduced two amazing concepts to the market:
- They introduced Ladylux, a revolutionary new kitchen faucet that brought the pull-out spray head to the US.
- They hired us to be their Northern California representative agency.
(We’ll let you decide which concept was more important…)
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The Original Ladylux
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Ladylux was an instant success – and was quickly copied by most (all?) other faucet manufacturers. Conceptually copied, but never equalled in quality or features. Ladylux has been updated in style, finish, and features over the decades, but GROHE let the list price drift slowly upward – making Ladylux more of an "aspirational" than an "accessible" price point.
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Ladylux in the 1990s
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Then in September of this year, as you know, GROHE re-introduced Ladylux L2 – with new styling and features and, yes, a lower list price targeting mainstream consumers.
The styling speaks for itself.
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Ladylux L2 Pull-down (2 Spray Model)
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But how about the features? The updated Ladylux L2 is a complete collection with a main sink pull-down or pull-out, prep sink models, pot-fillers, and even a filtered tap for drinking and cooking water. It also boasts a host of new and legacy features, including magnetic docking, laminar stream, Speed Clean nozzles, a pause button, and the innovative new Blade Spray – perfect for cleaning recalcitrant stuck-on food – available on the three-spray models. There are even Touch and Foot control options.
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Blade Spray (on 3-Spray Pull-down)
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I recently had the chance to use the new Ladylux L2 and I was very impressed by the new Blade Spray cleaning. I assumed that Blade used a higher-than-normal flow rate to achieve the cleaning power, but when I took the time to research, I found out that Blade spray uses less water than the 1.8 GPM allowed by CEC/CALGreen. Read more about the oh-so impressive Blade Spray and Ladylux L2 collection in the materials below:
Thanks,
Tom S
Question: Doing the same "research" that I did by reading the linked materials above, what is the percentage of water saved when using Blade Spray?
Send the correct answer to lauren@western-sales.com by December 20, 2019, and receive a $10 Starbucks card, courtesy of our Benevolent Overlords at LIXIL.
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Thanks for reading our newsletter and Happy Holidays!
Best regards,
Lauren
Lauren Slankard
Marketing
Western Sales Company
lauren@western-sales.com
408-353-9000
western-sales.com
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