kbbreview-industry-awards-2011-07-retail-bathroom

What The Bathroom Company says:

“Our aim at The Bathroom Company has always been to provide our customers with a range of the best quality fittings and service with a European influence. Our relaxed atmosphere and comprehensive range of displays helps welcome our clients. We deliver the best attributes expected of a major city store in the small town of Perth.”

Founded in 1992, the Bathroom Company’s 2,800sq ft showroom is Perthshire’s exclusive dealer in brands like Keuco, Villeroy & Boch and Dornbracht. It impressed the judges with its meticulous measurement of its business plans and success with extensive analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. It also studies its customers in depth to help target marketing activities such as direct mail, leaflet distribution, advertising and signage. The company is forecasting a £1.6m turnover for 2010/11 despite tough trading conditions, and says the economic downturn has actually been a catalyst to invest in additional retail space and a full refurbishment.

Littlejohn, the Hampshire-based bathroom retailer, marks a significant anniversary in 2011 - it is 20 years old. So will it mark that event by regaining the Master Retailer title it picked up back in 1998? The company was founded by Bill and Pearl Gosney, and as they hand over to son Simon and daughter Sarah Fascione they can be confident that they have built a solid, impressive business. Like so many retailers, Littlejohn has faced trading in a very difficult market in the last couple of years and its handling of that recession impressed the judges. Current turnover is £2m, down from £2.5m, but they learnt lessons from the previous downturn and reduced staff quickly, from 22 to 17, and dropped salaries by 10%.

A perennial Master Retailer finalist, Ripples Solihull is always a very impressive and consistent business - whatever the machinations of the wider bathroom market. Despite being one of the smallest showrooms in the Ripples franchise group, it is one of the most successful. Owners Lisa and Martin Hammond, who make up two of the team of four, say they have just had their most successful year since 2006, with gross profit up 2% and net profit 21%. It also had a strong end to the calendar year, with orders taken for Aug-Dec 2010 up 47% on the same period last year. They also feed back ideas and plans to the Ripples head office to help improve overall performance.

Established in 1966 as a tile distributor, Tubs & Tiles has actually only been selling full bathrooms since 2004. Owners Ashley Heath and Ben Keenan relocated the business in that year to its current 5,700sq ft showroom space. From that point, the company constantly exceeded its sales targets until 2008 when the economy took a downturn. Despite the sharp drop in sales, it went on to achieve a record profit for the year ending March 2009. The company’s customer database records not only regular contact details but also hobbies, interests and what car they drive etc. This leads to activity such as marketing promotions, towels at the local golf club with the Tubs & Tiles logo on, and sponsorships of wine tasting evenings.