Features – SpaRetailer.com

Sunbelt Spas Evolves Again

Posted on June 6, 2018 by SpaRetailer

Under new ownership, hot tub manufacturer prepares to scale By Andrew Lisa The spa gods tried their very best to kill Sunbelt Hot Tubs. The company’s four-decade evolution from local retailer to global manufacturer was an obstacle course of natural disasters, man-made disasters and economic calamities. But each brush with

Posted in Current Issue, Features manufacturing, Sunbelt Hot Tubs, Sunbelt Spas

Bold Ideas

Posted on June 6, 2018 by SpaRetailer

Outside-the-box business strategies from hot tub industry leaders By Michelle L. Cramer Industry leaders often experiment with cutting-edge strategies and business practices, ambitiously working toward expanding their market. From creating an online staff training program to hands-on hot tub design, and geo-targeted marketing techniques to in-house electrical, they are growing

Posted in Current Issue, Features bold ideas, electrical contracting, geo-targeting, on-site design, training

Three Best Practices for Swim Spa Deliveries

Posted on June 6, 2018 by SpaRetailer

Preparation is key to successful delivery day By Seraine Page No hot tub dealer wants to see a 3,000-pound swim spa careening into a house. That’s why delivery day preparation is critical to the success of installation, especially for larger price tag items like swim spas. Propulsion swim spas cost

Posted in Current Issue, Features, Swim Spas delivery, swim spas

Accessories Market At a Glance

Posted on March 30, 2018 by SR Editorial

The top-selling products, and tips to sell them The No. 1 mistake hot tub retailers make when it comes to selling spa-side accessories, some dealers say, is not displaying them at all. “In my experience, a customer needs to see the accessory and visualize it as part of their

Posted in Accessories, Departments, Features, Opinions accessories, spa accessories, trends

Tales of Sales

Posted on March 29, 2018 by SR Editorial

Three perspectives on types of ownership transitions By Megan Kendrick Robert Kaplan Bought: Black Pine Spas Robert Kaplan was looking to buy an existing business, but hot tubs were not on his radar. “When hot tubs first came up, my knee-jerk was [that I was] not interested in that,” Kaplan

Posted in Features acquisition, Black Pine Spas, Jim Van Fleet, Mainely Tubs, ownership transition, Robert Kaplan, Troy Derheim