Joe Dart speaks to Mark Conacher, Managing Director of SENSTEC USA, about the similarities and differences between the UK and North American KBB sector, as well as what UK installers can learn from counterparts across the Atlantic.
There has long been a strong relationship between the UK and North America – aided primarily by a shared language. That shared language is one of many similarities between the two, however these similarities do end at a point (at least in the KBB industry), and in some interesting ways.
One man who is well-versed in the affairs of both regions is Mark Conacher, Managing Director of SENSTEC USA. Originally from Scotland, he has a long and storied career working in KBB – including working as a kitchen fitter for the now defunct MFI. When MFI went bust, although he owned a his own Dundee-based fitting business, he decided it was time for a change and eventually ended up moving to Vancouver, Canada, in 2010.
But that wasn’t the end for his business, as Mark explains: “Leading up to moving, obviously that was going to be the end of my business, but something didn’t sit well with me, because all these people made money off of what I did. So I had this crazy idea to continue the company, bring someone in to run the day-to-day in the installations.”
Liberty Fitting Service continued to run with Mark overseeing the business from across the Atlantic, but eventually Mark embraced a new challenge in 2024 – leading the introduction of the SENSTEC shower tray into the USA.
The SENSTEC shower tray is manufactured by Classic Marble, a second-generation family business based in Northern Ireland. The tray itself features some really unique anti-slip qualities which are a key selling point of the system.
Mark says: “The anti-slip design is integrated into the tray. It became part of the tray and they created these patented dimples. It took 42 different prototypes to get to this design, and the biggest tray has 6,000 dimples on it.
“It’s the height, shape and spacing of those tiny dimples that create this anti-slip effect when you stand on it. And because they’re part of the tray, they don’t wear off and they can’t wash away.”
A big part of Mark’s current role is educating a North American audience about SENTEC’s anti-slip technology. And our conversation leads onto our first interesting difference between the UK and North America in how showers are incorporated into bathrooms.
Mark explains: “Traditionally showers are either in baths predominantly, but also when they create a shower, it’s like a wetroom floor with a curb and a little upstand around the shower.
“Shower trays, or shower pans as they are called over here, are slowly coming into the market and they’re gaining traction. But it’s a work in progress of educating people as to have how easy it is to install a shower pan over a wetroom floor and just how much safer SENSTEC is.”
The SENSTEC shower tray
The sales process also differs significantly between the UK and USA, Mark says. In America, bathroom installations are much more designer-led.
He says: “So either the designer will bring in a contractor and they’ll work together or a contractor will bring in a designer and they’ll work together. And these are the two people.
“There’s one key influence of a retailer in the UK and we don’t like to really recognise the power of the installer just yet. Whereas here, the power of the contractor and the designer is very big.”
Education is also something that’s really big in North America, moreso than the UK, according to Mark.
He says: “Being a member of the NKBA, I know it offers a lot of education. There’s a lot of designers that are really looking to for more certificates and qualifications. There’s a lot more push towards continual education within design that I notice over here than in the UK.
“NKBA really push on the CPD equivalents over here, but there is also lots of little badge qualifications, things that people want to pursue that they’re using to market and recognise the designers who are at a different level.”
Despite the differences, both sides of the Atlantic face a lot of the same challenges. The US is also facing a skills shortage, but with the rise of AI, Mark sees skilled trades as a more appealing option for the younger generation: “It’ll be a long time before a computer can fit a kitchen,” he quips.
Mark also notes that kitchens and bathrooms in both locations are increasingly becoming more lifestyle-oriented. He says: “People want more from their kitchen and they want it to be more open and they want it to be part of entertaining and more part of a lifestyle. It’s the same when you go into bathrooms, lifestyle starts tapping into this wellness trend. They’re trying to make kitchens and bathrooms more of an experience.
Another similarity is an increased focus on futureproofing homes so that residents can age in place, without the need for major adaptions. Mark cites how a towel rail in the bathroom could potentially double as a grab rail to help reduce the risk of falling in the bathroom.
He adds: “Why can’t we install a SENSTEC anti-slip shower tray instead of a standard anti-slip shower tray because it’s going to be so much more easy to clean and upkeep. It’s also going to keep you on your feet and the statistics are when you fall, you die sooner; that’s just a proven fact.
“Design should be able to produce something that aesthetically looks good but actually helps people.”
Are there any lessons that the UK can learn from North America? Mark certainly believes so. According to him, a negative perception of tradespeople in some quarters in the UK is holding back the opportunity to maximise their expertise.
He explains: “The retailers don’t always know it all. And more tightly tapping into your contractor and learning from what they know is something I think that the UK can really do better. There’s a lot of clever guys out there that know a lot.”
Mark concludes by arguing that tradespeople in the UK should do more to embrace trade association membership as it will benefit both them and the whole industry going forward.
He says: “I think a lot of installers and companies need to really align themselves more with associations. They do here – the NKBA is huge over here and everybody wants to be part of that.
“And I think by doing that, trades will lift themselves up, but they’ll also lift the whole industry up, of installation, of contractors, skilled trades, which allows for people to view them with more respect, which then raises the value. So when you’re more respected, you can up your prices because people value you more.”
Get involved with the North American KBB market by registering your interest in InstallerSHOW New York, taking place 18-19 March 2026 at the Javits Center, New York City.
