BATH CONCEPT - DAVID BONNELLE, MANAGING DIRECTOR, THG PARIS: "LISTENING TO AND COLLABORATING WITH CUSTOMERS IS ESSENTIAL"
The brand launched its latest collection, Zoom, in April 2024, an opportunity to talk to its Managing Director about its strengths and many hotel collaborations. |
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BATH CONCEPT - DAVID BONNELLE, MANAGING DIRECTOR, THG PARIS: "LISTENING TO AND COLLABORATING WITH CUSTOMERS IS ESSENTIAL"
The brand launched its latest collection, Zoom, in April 2024, an opportunity to talk to its Managing Director about its strengths and many hotel collaborations. |
Category: Worldwide - Interviews and portraits
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Interview made by Sonia Taourghi on 2024-07-22
 David Bonnelle, Managing Director, THG Paris
Photo credit © THG Paris
This year, the French brand took advantage of Design Week in Milan to unveil its new collection, ZOOM, designed by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. The inspiration behind the collection: the manual adjustments echo a tap and the focus of a film camera. The result is a successful visual effect that transports the user into the world of photography in the blink of an eye, or click, as it were.Another emblematic collaboration in the tradition of the brand's strength and aesthetic inventiveness.
Managing Director, David Bonnelle, looks back at the history of THG Paris, while offering a perspective on its expansion strategy.What is the story behind THG Paris?It all began in Béthencourt-sur-Mer in Picardy in 1956. Three men fascinated by the tap mechanism created the THG brand: André Tétard, Julien Haudiquez and Alexandre Grisoni.
In 1970, a key encounter with Jean-Claude Delépine, who introduced design to the bathroom, marked a real turning point for the brand.
This was followed by collaborations with renowned designers such as Pierre-Yves Rochon, Studio FA Porsche, Martin Kemp, Charles Zana, Jean-Michel Wilmotte... and prestigious design houses representing French luxury such as Lalique, Baccarat, Christofle and Haviland.
Today, the French company employs over 250 people and exports its collections of taps and bathroom accessories worldwide.What are the three words that define the brand?Design, exceptional products, exclusivityWhat is the brand's vision?THG Paris' ambition is to be the leading bathroom design brand in the world.Who are your customers (type, regions)? What is your expansion strategy?Our customers are in the hotel, upmarket residential and yachting sectors.
Our clientele is international, with export sales exceeding 85%. THG has developed a wide range of designs and technical solutions that allow interior designers and architects to create their bathroom projects with a great deal of freedom.
Our expertise and mastery of the entire manufacturing process enable us to cover all requirements, and even to offer customised solutions. Listening to and supporting our customers is an essential part of our sales approach.
Our network of subsidiaries in Paris, London, New York, Shanghai, Dubai, Singapore, Milan, etc. means that we can stay close to all our project partners.Can you tell us more about your work with the luxury hotel industry?THG has been present in many hotels on every continent for many years.
Major hotel chains have placed their trust in us. These include the Four Seasons, Oetker, Dorchester Collection, Ritz-Carlton and Mandarin groups.
THG's wide range of designs and our bespoke production capacity enable us to respond to a wide variety of projects, from prestige suites to standard rooms on a very tight budget.
The experience we have acquired over the years means we can support the various players in their decision-making, whether they be interior designers, operators, technical departments or design offices. Being a reliable partner means being present not only during construction but also throughout the entire period of operation of the establishment.How do you work with architects and interior designers?It's often after many successful collaborations that decorators or interior designers approach us to develop a collection. We release at least two collections every year.
They are a logical part of our long-term development, but they can also sometimes retain an exclusive character, as in the case of the RITZ London project, which is currently being renovated.How do you innovate, in terms of products and services, and maintain your level of excellence?The company distinguishes itself from its competitors by its complete in-house control of the design and production process. THG Paris is a family of specialised craftsmen in a company with an industrial dimension. It offers products that complement taps (accessories, sanitaryware, door knobs and handles, towel rails, etc.), while retaining its DNA: quality and refinement. In fact, we are constantly raising our standards in terms of product quality to ensure that our eclectic clientele is fully satisfied. Finally, we know how to adapt to special requests by creating unique models or models adapted to specific requirements.
 ZOOM by Wilmotte Collection unveiled at the Milan Design Week 2024
Photo credit © Sonia Taourghi / Journal des Palaces
 THG Paris in the Presidentail Suite's Bathroom at the Mandarin Oriental Ritz Madrid, designed by Gilles & Boissier
Photo credit © THG Paris
 THG Paris in a Deluxe Louvre Room at Cheval Blanc Paris
Photo credit © Alexandre Tabaste / THG Paris
 THG Paris in a room's bathroom at The Lana, Dubai, Dorchester Collection
Photo credit © THG Paris
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