Online bathroom retailer Plumbworld has been acquired by the Highbourne Group, a specialist distributor of plumbing, heating, and bathroom products.
In a statement the Highbourne Group, parent company of City Plumbing Supplies (CPS) and Plumbing Trade Supplies (PTS), said that the acquisition of the online retail business – its second in a matter of weeks – “would strengthen its e-commerce and direct-to-consumer retail offering”.
Speaking about the acquisition Dave Evans (pictured right), CEO the Highbourne Group, said: “We are delighted to welcome Plumbworld into the Highbourne Group family of businesses and see Plumbworld as highly complementary to our existing customer propositions. James Hickman and the management team at Plumbworld have built the leading online bathroom retailer in the UK and I look forward to working with them to accelerate their growth initiatives. The acquisition of Plumbworld enables us to take our proven trade customer proposition and market leading supply chain to retail customers too – meaning that we can provide customers across the UK with even quicker access to what they need, when they need it.”
Plumbworld founder and CEO James Hickman (pictured below) added: “The integration of Plumbworld into the Highbourne Group is an exciting chapter for our business. The Highbourne Group are creating real momentum in the market, and I see enormous potential for Plumbworld as part of that growth plan.”
Originally set up in 1999, West-Midlands-based retailer Plumbworld was bought by The Grafton Group in 2006, but was bought back by original founder Hickman in a management buyout in 2018. It has over 160 employees and claims to be the second largest online plumbing retailer in the UK. In April 2021 it reported a 30% growth in sales for the year to December 2020.