Jarlath Keenan, co-owner of Bathroom Envy in Dungannon, Northern Ireland, could not believe his luck when he secured a prime site in the province’s only designer shopping centre for his first ever bathroom showroom.

The 3,500sq ft two-storey corner site on the Linen Green Design Centre, which is situated right in the middle of Ulster, was the perfect location for his new showroom not only because of its central location, but also the kind of footfall it attracts.

“The location is a high-end shopping village with exclusively boutique shops, no multiples,” explains Keenan. “People know that if you want to find something a bit different, you go to Linen Green.

“Where we are, it is well known but expensive, but it is worth it as we get lots of people coming into the showroom who say they had no idea we were here, but they’re actually in the process of building a house.”

Not only does the site attract people who may be starting a new-build or refurbishment project, it also attracts exactly the kind of customers that Bathroom Envy is targeting – “aspirational, design-led people”.

Keenan intended Bathroom Envy to plug what he saw as a gap in the area for a mid-to-high end bathroom showroom that offered something different along with excellent customer service.

Keenan adds: “A lot of people say they are just coming in for ideas and then they tell us that in most showrooms they go into, they see the same things over and over again, but here they see things they’ve never seen anywhere else.”

In fact, Keenan reveals that around 35% to 40% of the products he sells are exclusive to Bathroom Envy in their market area.

And Keenan has made a point of filling the showroom’s two floors with products that you might not find elsewhere. This is key to the entire ethos of the business and explains why Keenan chose the name Bathroom Envy – envy being exactly what he was trying to inspire in his customers when they step into the showroom.

Keenan had originally intended to target the business at the middle market, but then decided to aim at the mid- to high-end.

He explains his thinking: “In my head there was going to be a slowdown before Covid happened, but then Covid created a lot of demand for bathrooms and when things opened up again, after the pandemic, it was the busiest two or three years for the industry in 20 years.

Mid to high-end

“But I thought the slowdown was still going to happen and when we thought about it we went mid-to-high as the bottom end is going to get squeezed and squeezed. I think that is happening right now and, believe it or not, it is the more unique products that are selling. And the orders are pretty good, so I think it was the right move.”

He adds that he has very few chrome taps on display as “everyone knows what chrome looks like”. He displays other finishes such as dark bronze and has found that those are more popular among Bathroom Envy’s customer base.

Large slab tiles are another example. “Again that’s where we are different,” Keenan says, “as no one else in Northern Ireland has them on display. We have nine bays with large slab tiles on and a lot of people have never seen them before. They think it is wallpaper or panelling. I haven’t met anybody that likes grout in a shower and so this is another way of doing it and the ones we put on display create a lot of buzz. Once I saw them I knew they had to go on display and we have some that are really unique right at the front door as you walk in – that display is like a piece of art.”

In fact, tiles account for as much as 40% of Bathroom Envy’s turnover. Bathroom-wise, Keenan tells kbbreview that bathroom sales are split around 50:50 between contemporary and traditional and the 30 or so displays reflect that.

So what did winning our New Bathroom Retailer of the Year award mean to Bathroom Envy?

“From a business point of view, it is the best thing that has ever happened to Bathroom Envy,” enthuses Keenan. “Even before we opened, we had thought it would be great to win a kbbreview award. I have been in the bathroom industry for 25 years and I am very familiar with kbbreview, so I knew that if you were listed among the finalists, it meant you were doing something right. It was a dream come true.”

The kbbreview Retail & Design Awards judges said of Bathroom Envy: “The founders wanted to fill a gap in the market for premium bathrooms. With a comprehensive product range and expertly crafted layout, it maintains an approachable feel and is becoming a must-visit destination for discerning shoppers and design professionals.”

Keenan had always wanted to set up his own showroom having worked for 25 years in bathroom sales for other retailers.

“I had ideas I couldn’t implement and there was always someone above me who didn’t agree with what I was saying,” he recalls. “So for years it was my dream to open my own bathroom showroom and eventually, early last year, it became a reality.”

Keenan had also been friendly with Wayne Lyons, who set up Soaks Bathrooms in Belfast around 18 years ago and which won our Bathroom Retailer of the Year award in 2019. When Keenan approached Lyons to partner with him in the Bathroom Envy, he agreed and although he was very closely involved during the planning and building stages of the business, he is no longer involved on a day-to-day basis.

Grand opening

Bathroom Envy opened in September last year – three months later than planned thanks to difficulty securing tradespeople to fit out the showroom. They held an opening event for the public and a separate one for architects and interior designers, which Keenan says went extremely well.

Keenan recalls: “There were probably over 100 people there. It worked out very well and we had attracted the right people in the showroom – architects and interior designers. We also had five or six influencers and they were posting live in Instagram and Facebook, which created quite a buzz and it certainly got the name out there. It was one of best things we have ever done.”

He tells kbbreview that architects and interior designers are a large part of their business.

Keenan also reveals that social media is an important part of his business and he took on a marketing/social media specialist from the start. It seems to have paid off as 40% of his sales come from Instagram leads.

One thing the judges praised about Bathroom Envy was the quality of the experience, which appeals to all the senses, with the air fragranced with a pleasing scent, soothing music playing and recessed LED lighting, which helps to create that special experience.

Since Bathroom Envy opened, Keenan says he has seen turnover double and he says he is a lot busier than he thought he’d be at this stage.

There is one other salesman, a storeman and delivery driver, but no employed fitters, as in Northern Ireland bathroom showrooms do not tend to offer a fitting service. He adds that his customers also tend to buy multiple bathrooms, anywhere from two to six.

Looking ahead, Keenan is planning a one year’s anniversary event, inviting influencers from the homes market. He says he will also be looking at suppliers whose products are not on sale everywhere.