Cosimo Corsini
Thermal comfort sustainable solutions provider Ariston Group has officially introduced its global brand ARISTON in South Africa, to replace local brand Heat Tech, which had been part of the group stable for the past eight years.
The Italian multinational group entered the South African market in 2014 by acquiring Heat Tech, a local brand that has steadily grown since, enjoying the benefit of local go-to-market proximity and local production, with the global technology know-how of the group, Ariston Group says.
The launch of the ARISTON brand is noted to be a natural evolution – as South Africa gains importance as a core geography in the Group’s portfolio, Ariston Group consolidates its presence in the country, and from here on, all the group’s products and services in South Africa will be marketed under the global brand ARISTON.
“ARISTON is a leader in the water heating business in over 40 countries on five continents. Our iconic brand successfully combines worldwide reach with an in-depth knowledge of each local market where we operate.
“With this rebranding, ARISTON commits to bringing more than 90 years of history and expertise in water heating to the South African market, to serve at best the needs of our professional partners and our end-users,” comments Ariston Group chief strategy officer and Middle East, Africa and Asia VP Cosimo Corsini.
PREFERRED PARTNER
Ariston Group South Africa country manager Wayne Vertue explains that the main decision-maker for the market is the professional installer – the company’s partner in driving growth – while also remaining conscious of end-users’ needs.
“South African plumbing professionals are constantly looking to serve their customers with easy-to-install and reliable products made by a renowned and trusted brand, alongside a partner that is close to their economic, technical and after-sales needs.
“ARISTON is well positioned to satisfy the needs of local professionals by taking the heritage of Heat Tech and boosting its value proposition thanks to the global expertise of the multinational group and international technologies. We strive to become the preferred partner for professionals, contractors and end-users in delivering such solutions,” he outlines.
As part of the brand repositioning, ARISTON will also launch the Axios geyser range, which was designed specifically for South Africa by a combination of global and local specialists and is noted to be engineered to bring comfort to the home.
The Axios range offers increased ease of installation, high performance, safety and efficiency.
GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY DRIVE
Corsini says Ariston Group’s overall global vision is two-pronged.
“Firstly, our purpose is to provide more homes worldwide with high-quality comfort solutions and, secondly, to make these solutions more efficient by developing new technologies,” he indicates.
“After having acquired Heat Tech several years ago, we further reinforced our local product development centre of competence, strengthened our commercial offices with local management and leveraged on our in-country production plant.
“ARISTON is, therefore, now a well-established presence in Southern Africa and our location here is perfect to unleash further continued growth. Under the ARISTON brand, we will continue in our mission to be the home of sustainable comfort for our local professionals, retailers and end-users,” posits Vertue.