NEWS & INSIGHTS

As we enter a new year, UK bath manufacturers like Trojan are operating in a trade landscape shaped by shifting consumer expectations, tighter sustainability requirements and evolving design preferences.

For distributors, merchants and installers, understanding these trends is vital in anticipating demand, supporting specification decisions and delivering long-term value for residential and commercial projects across the UK.

In this blog, I’m sharing my predictions on the three key trends in the UK bathroom trade market that will emerge in 2026 – quiet luxury, sustainability, and changing consumer preferences around bathing and showering

We’re seeing quiet luxury  emerging as a dominant influence across bathroom design, which is being driven not only by homeowner demand, but also developers seeking sophistication in both homes and hospitality sectors.

This trend is characterised by refined finishes, clean lines and bathroom products that signal quality through material choice and build integrity, rather than branding or decoration.

For UK bath manufacturers like Trojan, quiet luxury presents an opportunity to reposition reliable, well-engineered bathroom products as premium solutions that offer longevity and consistency.

Installers and retailers are increasingly asking us to recommend ranges that work across multiple projects, asking for timeless aesthetics that will not date quickly and that perform reliably in both private and multi-unit environments.

At Trojan, our dependable supply chain, consistent approach to quality control, and flexible product ranges provide assurance to our customers at every step. Our specification-led design approach ensures that each product is built to last – reducing the need for frequent replacements often seen with lower quality materials and less intuitive bath designs.

Today’s bathroom landscape is segmented by life stage. Whilst young families continue to prioritise baths, young professionals, households with teenage children, and empty nesters are increasingly choosing wet rooms and shower trays as their primary bathroom solution. This shift demands a new approach to product design.

Modern consumers expect shower trays that deliver on two fronts: aesthetic minimalism paired with flawless functionality. Sleek, contemporary lines have become the baseline, but what truly sets quality trays apart is their engineering—specifically, drainage performance that actively keeps bathrooms dry and reduces slip hazards.

Almost one in five (19%, 11 million) people in England are aged 65 and over, and almost two in five (38%, 22 million) are aged 50 and over. This means that UK bath manufacturers must adapt their manufacturing processes, product portfolios, and future project planning to respond to the change in demographics accordingly.

For manufacturers, this means treating shower trays not as secondary features, but as design-led essentials. The trays that win in today’s market are those that achieve visual simplicity without compromising on the practical benefits homeowners demand: reliable water management, durability, and genuine safety improvements.

For suppliers and manufacturers, this trend highlights the importance of offering showering solutions that integrate seamlessly into both new-build and refurbishment projects, while supporting installers with consistency and technical confidence on site.

The recent launch of our Living Showers range – which utilises the innovative ‘Bath In Shower Out’ (BOSI®) technology – has been designed with installers in mind as the range can be fitted in one day by using existing bathroom pipework.

The range consists of five solutions which all feature an ergonomic design with a low-profile anti-slip shower tray and integrated tapered seat, providing security and stability in wet conditions so users can maintain dignity during personal care. The BOSI® technology also ensures that the end-user has a practical, safe solution to meet their accessibility needs quickly and with minimal disruption.

From these trends, we can see a clear theme emerging for the UK bathroom trade market in 2026: the growing importance of partnership.

As a UK bath and shower tray manufacturer, we must rise to the pressures of future-proof installation, operating compliantly, and meeting the end users’ expectations. Trade customers need a partner who can provide exactly what the market needs.

Quiet luxury relies on trust and quality, sustainability depends on transparency and credible performance claims, and the shift to adaptable showering demands solutions designed with real-world installation in mind.

For Trojan, these trends reinforce the importance of delivering bathroom products that are practical, dependable and aligned with how the trade operates day to day.

As the market evolves, our success in 2026 will be defined not just by keeping pace with design trends, but by supporting the trade with solutions that perform reliably, meet sustainability expectations and adapt to changing bathroom layouts. In an increasingly competitive market, consistency, quality and strong partnerships will remain central to Trojan’s long-term growth across the UK bathroom sector.