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Bathshack started life as an online-only bathroom retailer in 2009. Three years later it opened its first showroom – and discovered something surprising: physical stores actually boosted its online sales.
Now, after building a network of 13 showrooms across Ireland and Northern Ireland, founder and CEO Peter Dunlop has brought Bathshack to England for the first time with a new store in Cheadle.
So what can independent retailers learn from a business that has successfully combined bricks-and-mortar retail with e-commerce? Why does Dunlop believe showrooms and websites should reinforce rather than compete with each other? And, with the market as tough as it is, why is he choosing now to expand?
We talk online versus offline, the importance of being genuinely different, supplier strategies, AI, customer service and why waiting for the perfect market conditions could mean waiting forever.
It’s a fascinating conversation about growth, differentiation and what today’s bathroom customer really wants.