Sector
Construction, Manufacturing

Location
Essex

Lifestiles is a leading provider of exceptional handmade clay roofing tiles, as well as a complementary range of natural and machine-made products and related expertise. Originally founded in 2004 by co-Directors Dave Osborne and Mike Chillery, the company quickly thrived as a specialist supplier of handmade tiles for historical and heritage properties.

In recent years, the business has begun to expand and become the trusted expert for discerning homeowners seeking authentic products for period and prestige home building and restoration. In 2017, Mackman became involved and the company has since doubled in size.

Brand Facts

Lifestiles supply aesthetically pleasing, quality natural roofing products to customers across the UK.
All Lifestiles tiles are tested at Lucideon (an independent UK facility approved by both UKAS and the British Standards Institute) to ensure they meet the relevant British Standards.
With over 50 years of experience, their staff are specialists in natural roofing solutions and have been involved with many prestigious projects over the years including projects for Oxford and Cambridge Universities, English Heritage, Royal Residencies, and listed buildings.

Project Facts

Mackman was approached to help scale Lifestiles, which had already seen significant growth since its foundation in 2004.
We established a two-phase process, starting with an evolution in the brand’s appearance and tone, and moving towards repositioning Lifestiles tiles towards owners of period and prestige properties.

Lifestiles location photography by Mackman

The Client

Supplying period and prestige properties

With over 50 years of experience in the provision of specialist roof tiles in the UK, Dave Osborn and Mike Chillery understand the importance of the roof over our heads in maintaining a family’s security, comfort and lifestyle, and the integrity, appearance and value of their home.

They started Lifestiles as a boutique provider of handmade, individually crafted clay roof tiles; each one is unique and they combine to crown period and prestige properties in the same way that has been proven successful, sustainable and beautiful for centuries. By combining unique products with exceptional customer service, Lifestiles has grown to become of the UK’s leading suppliers, advising and serving private clients, trade customers and retail merchants across the UK.

The Challenge

This project required careful pacing to ensure that Lifestiles could maintain their existing brand reputation while building on their upward trajectory. The aim was to establish Lifestiles as a premium brand and position handmade clay roof tiles as an aesthetically beautiful product in the same way that interior tiles are regarded.

Who do you work for?
What are their needs, expectations?
How do we talk to them?

Our Process

Showcasing the aesthetics of roof tiles

Despite significant expansion, Dave and Mike remain at the heart of Lifestiles, sourcing additional tiles and products to complement current collections and ensuring that their values and passion for property, service and sustainability underpin everything they do.

When Mackman and Lifestiles first met in 2017, it was clear that the business was a real gem; having developed as a niche boutique, but with significant opportunity to scale. Both parties agreed that this should be done in phased stages, thereby carefully balancing the need to both maintain their valuable reputation for exceptional quality and personal service, while scaling to embrace a wider market and customer base.

Phase 1 : Shifting from functional to fashionable

Phase One was designed to evolve the company’s appearance and tone – gradually moving their brand forward to reflect the quality of products they provide and the properties to which they are suited. This process was gradual and built on a thorough grounding of insight.

Phase 2 : Reaching new audiences

A key aspect of Phase Two involved a further evolution of the brand to ensure that it increasingly reached those homeowners who value the authenticity and integrity of their period homes, or who wish to invest in the most attractive and sustainable options when building, restoring or upgrading prestige properties.

What do they think of the brand?
Do they deliver what they say they will?
Why do they use them, and would they do so again?

What does this mean for Lifestiles?

From its roots providing tiles for historical and heritage buildings, Lifestiles products are now sought after by architects, developers and homeowners creating fine new builds.

Working in partnership

Lifestiles is working closely with a growing network of roofing experts who are particularly well placed to manage the types of prestige and period roofing projects for which both their products and services are ideally suited. These business partnerships are creating win/win scenarios for both brands, the contractors benefit from the product and expertise available through Lifestiles’ head office, and helps to ensure a seamless, high-quality experience for all concerned; not least the homeowners.

The Results

Lifestiles’ Director, Dave Osborn, credits Mackman’s contribution to the company-wide doubling in size achieved over recent years. Lifestiles are now able to produce on-brand marketing materials, and present their full range of tiles on their new website, with content that is carefully crafted to appeal to homeowners, specifiers, building industry professionals and approved partners.