Maine hot tub retailer expands to Massachusetts, open to further growth
Courtesy / Mainely Tubs
Mainely Tubs, an employee-owned hot tub and sauna retailer based in Scarborough, has opened a 20,000-square-foot showroom at the Liberty Tree Mall in Danvers, Mass. The store is a former Pier 1 that Mainely Tubs gutted and renovated.
Mainely Tubs, a Scarborough-based hot tub and sauna retailer owned by its 95 employees, recently opened its largest showroom to date in Danvers, Mass., giving it a foothold in three states with further expansion possible.
"We believe we represent a category whose time has come," Jared Levin, president and CEO of the employee-owned firm, told Mainebiz. "Customers are focused on health and wellness, and are looking for more relaxation or family time on their weekend and less time with electronics."
That's reflected in last year's record sales, led by strong showings at Mainely Tubs in Bedford, N.H., which opened in April 2021, and Danvers, which sold more than 50 hot tubs in the first six weeks, according to Levin.
The Danvers showroom, housed in a former Pier 1 store that Mainely Tubs gutted and renovated at the Liberty Tree Mall, is the company's first in the Bay State and fourth overall.
At 20,000 square feet, Danvers is the biggest location so far for Mainely Tubs. The Scarborough-based company, employee-owned since 2016, is the global sales leader for Vista, Calif.-based Watkins Wellness, which claims to be the world's largest hot tub manufacturer. Watkins is a division of Masco Corp. (NYSE: MAS), of Livonia, Mich.
Mainely Tubs has 10,000-square-foot showrooms in Scarborough and Rye, N.H., and 7,000 square feet in Bedford.
"Once Bedford was open and running smoothly," Levin noted, "we again were thinking about opportunities for expansion."
Danvers's Liberty Tree Mall, located about 20 miles north of Boston, was the "next destination shopping center of meaningful south of Rye and Bedford, yet Watkins had no dealers with a showroom in that territory," he added. "We also felt that we could support that market from our existing warehouse and delivery hub. So when Watkins asked if we would consider opening a showroom in that location, we were excited for the opportunity."
The new Danvers location currently employs four full-time sales associates and a local service technician, according to Levin. He said the company is seeking more service technicians in southern New Hampshire and the north shore of Massachusetts to support anticipated growth in those markets.
'Potential to double showroom count'
Asked about future expansion, Levin signaled there will be further targeted growth.
"We prefer to have consistency of product across showrooms, so our strong preference is to continue working with the brands that we already represent," he said. "This means that we need to work in coordination with the manufacturer to gain access to new territories. However, there are always dealers looking to retire, or markets that are being underserved, and we are confident that when we are ready to open our next showroom, there will be opportunities available."
Over the next two to three years, he added, "we see the potential to double our showroom count."
In the meantime, the priority is to make sure the company has the resources in place to provide service to existing customers, Levin said.
"Once we are confident we have met that goal," Levin said, "we will look for opportunities for expansion."
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments