BRABANTIA area sales manager for Asia-Pacific Danny den Hartog
At prices ranging from more than P2,000 to P13,000, getting a Brabantia trash bin seems quite an indulgence, even for those with money to spare.
But Danny den Hartog, area sales manager for Asia Pacific of the Dutch firm Brabantia Solid Company, says it is worth every centavo. Den Hartog says all Brabantia trash bins carry a 10-year warranty, more than a lifetime for ordinary garbage receptacles.
“Actually, P13,000 is equivalent to [spending] P1,300 every year for [ordinary bins] because of the 10-year warranty,” Den Hartog says. He explains that the “torture” that many trash bins go through on a daily basis may mean less expensive products may have to be replaced every year.
FROM left, Garden Barn chair Nelson Guevarra with Suyen Corp. president Virgillo Lim and vice president for business development Bryan Lim
Den Hartog was in Manila recently to preside at the opening of Brabantia’s first store in the country. Although the product has been available for seven to eight years in several local retail outlets, the store at the third floor of furniture concept store Dimensione in Bonifacio High Street, Global City, Taguig is the first to showcase Brabantia’s full range of products designed to offer “full solutions for kitchens and homes,” Den Hartog says.
The Brabantia range includes waste management products, laundry essentials, kitchen tools and storage items and bathroom accessories. Brabantia prides itself in manufacturing beautifully-designed products that are made to last, combining practicality, innovation, design and quality.
Den Hartog says the double digit growth in Brabantia sales in the country encouraged them to open the store. While the products will still be available in the other retail outlets, the High Street store will enable them to get direct customer feedback and how the market receives new products.
INTERIOR of the store
At the store, customers can see a whole range of cooking utensils, food storage canisters and laundry aids like versatile colorful hampers that can hold dirty clothes and then be easily carried to the washing machine.
Different sizes of ironing boards are all designed with safety in mind. The iron rack will not topple and covers for some boards will not burst into flames if a plugged iron is left unattended for a while.
For Brabantia, even the smallest household item, like a toothpick holder, has to look good and stylish, as well as functional. In the United Kingdom, it conducted a design-your-bin competition to further enhance the appearance of trash receptacles. The results were designs pretty enough to make the trash bin suitable accessory in the living room even in polite company.
A BRABANTIA trash bin looks good enough to be on display. This one costs about P10,000.
Like many good things these days, several Brabantia products have spawned cheaper look-alikes in the market. But only genuine Brabantia carries a warranty of two to 10 years.
Den Hartog says Brabantia will replace spare parts and mechanisms that have broken down because of overuse. And getting a product serviced or parts replaced is less of a hassle than for some consumer items.
“You just bring it (the product) to the store where you bought it. We actually have people in the store to coordinate with customers,” Den Hartog says. “In fact, we have received many comments that people appreciate our service.”
Brabantia is also realistic enough not to expect people to be able to keep proof of purchase for 10 years or present receipts that are still legible (tape receipts that use thermal paper fade in just a few weeks). As long as its coordinators can establish the genuineness of the product, the customer will get the service he/she requires.
Trash bins remain the top seller for Brabantia. The receptacles range in size from three to 50 liters but the most popular, according to Den Hartog, is the 12-liter container. He says their trash bins, even those with foot pedals, close quietly, with no banging of lids.
Although Brabantia aims to provide for people’s different needs, Den Hartog says, for hygienic purposes, most people go for bins with pedals so they do not have to touch the containers.
Touch bins are also good sellers, he says, mainly for aesthetic reasons. “They look smart, are more stylish (and better able to) match (people’s) lifestyles,” he says. Touch bins are currently available in nine different colors, without designs.
Den Hartog says, “Our products last as long as you want them to last. We do not dictate to consumers how long they want to use products. If they want to change (their trash bins) after five years, that’s fine.”
He adds that, as the company aims for 100 percent recyclability, discarded products can be recycled into something else. People, he says, use old trash bins as containers for storing rice and other items.
Brabantia can also customize products for customers, like putting a company’s logo on trash bins. “We are very good at customization,” Den Hartog proudly says.
Brabantia trash bins use special liners that are exact fits of containers so they hardly show when lids are closed. “Bin liners match completely the products-30-liter bags will fit exactly 30-liter containers. Other liners have different styles and are not exact fits,” Den Hartog says.
He adds that Brabantia liners have tie cords for convenient disposal. They also have product codes to make it easy to find the right size.
Den Hartog says they recommend to retail stores where their products are available to carry replacement liners, as well, for the convenience of customers.
Brabantia is distributed locally by Garden Barn, Inc., e-mail: admin@gardenbarn.com.ph; tel. 8331080 and fax 8325240.