For more than four decades, Mark Vitow has built strong relationships across the plumbing and heating merchant sector, growing from a family-run distributor into a multi-division business spanning distribution, manufacturing, strategic partnerships and sourcing. Now, the business is bringing everything together under one unified direction with the launch of VITOW GROUP and a brand-new website platform.
VITOW GROUP marks a major step forward for the business. What does it represent?
VITOW GROUP brings together everything we do: the national strength of Mark Vitow Distribution, the innovation of our VITOW brand, the success of our exclusive partnerships, and our growing global sourcing capabilities, all under one unified direction.
"MARK VITOW BRINGS TOGETHER THE NATIONAL STRENGTH OF MARK VITOW DISTRIBUTION, THE INNOVATION OF OUR VITOW BRAND, AND OUR GROWING GLOBAL SOURCING CAPABILITIES.
Mark Vitow has grown significantly over the years and, as our capabilities expanded, we reached a point where it was important to better reflect the full scope of the business. We’ve invested heavily into product development, branding, strategic partnerships and sourcing, and we felt it was important to communicate that more clearly.
VITOW GROUP allows us to present a clearer vision for the future of the business while still maintaining the values, relationships and trusted Mark Vitow name at the centre of what we do. It’s not about changing who we are. It’s about better representing what the business has become.
What does this evolution mean for merchants and installers?
For merchants and installers, it means greater access to the full strength of the business, from national distribution and exclusive partner brands through to VITOW product innovation and expanded sourcing capabilities. Bringing everything together under VITOW GROUP allows us to offer more choice, more innovation and broader support across the trade.
It also allows our teams to work more closely together across sales, marketing, sourcing and product development, helping us respond faster to market needs, support customers more effectively and continue creating new opportunities throughout the sector.
At the same time, it’s important to be clear that the things which matter most remain exactly the same. The same team, the same service and the same commitment to supporting merchants and installers continue to sit at the heart of the business.
VITOW GROUP simply gives us a stronger platform to continue growing while delivering the service and reliability customers know us for.
VITOW Partnerships have become an important part of the business. What does that mean in practice?
Our partnerships division is focused on helping innovative brands successfully grow within the UK merchant sector. That’s about much more than simply distributing products. We see ourselves as market makers, combining our market knowledge, relationships, marketing support, sales expertise and national reach to help brands build market share, strengthen their position and achieve sustainable long-term growth.
Through our relationships with buying groups, national merchants and independent merchants across the UK, we help brands gain meaningful market penetration while maintaining a clear and controlled growth strategy. Rather than manufacturers having to manage multiple distributor relationships, we provide a single strategic route to market built around shared values, long-term thinking and consistent execution.
We focus heavily on branch engagement, installer pull-through activity, category development and controlled UK brand building. That approach helps create stable market pricing, consistent sales and marketing messaging, and sustainable growth for both our partners and our customers. Brands such as OB1, Quooker, Black Swan, and OX Tools are strong examples of that approach in practice. By combining our commercial expertise and deep understanding of the merchant sector, we’re able to help deliver consistent, sustainable results across the UK market.
It’s an area of the business that has grown significantly because manufacturers increasingly value partners who understand the market, understand merchants and can genuinely help drive a brand forward.
Innovation has also become a major focus for the business in recent years. How important is that moving forward?
It’s hugely important. Innovation is one of the biggest drivers of growth for us, particularly through our VITOW manufactured product ranges, where we continue to invest in installer-focused products designed around quality, performance and real trade needs.
A good example is our FlowPro macerator and grey water pump range. FlowPro has grown rapidly and has been recognised by the Bathroom Association at InstallerSHOW as an Innovation Leader for two years running. Solutions like FlowPro are helping us bring more installer-focused products into the market while giving merchants strong-performing categories with excellent support behind them.
Alongside that, our sourcing division has expanded significantly, allowing us to develop bespoke and private-label solutions tailored to specific customer and market requirements, giving us greater flexibility to respond to changing market needs and opportunities.
You’ve also launched a brand-new website. What can customers expect from the new platform?
The new website is an important step forward for the business. We wanted a platform that better reflects who we are today while making it easier for customers to explore the different divisions, brands and services across VITOW GROUP.
The site introduces the VITOW GROUP structure for the first time and gives visitors a much clearer understanding of the full breadth of the business. More importantly, it has been designed to make it easier for customers to find products, understand solutions and connect with the right people within the business.
It has also been designed with both merchants and installers in mind, helping customers access information more quickly while making it easier to discover products, explore solutions and engage with the wider VITOW GROUP offering.
Finally, what’s next for VITOW GROUP?
We’re continuing to invest across all areas of the business. That includes expanding our product portfolio, strengthening partnerships, developing our people and improving the overall customer experience.
At the same time, we remain focused on the values the business was built on over 40 years ago: respect, trust, innovation, ambition and integrity. VITOW GROUP is the next chapter for the business, but the foundations remain exactly the same. www.vitowgroup.com