EUROPE Winner... COLIN STEVENS
BIOGRAPHY With little knowledge of ecommerce, Colin Stevens’ entrepreneurial journey started from humble beginnings. Following his professional golfing dream in becoming the next Nick Faldo, Stevens began dabbling in online sales at just 17, to help fund this ambitious career path. In the four years that followed, and upon realising he wasn’t going to beat the likes of Tiger Woods, Stevens turned his attention to making money.
At just 21, the British entrepreneur began from his bedroom selling taps on eBay. After five very successful days of offering items at such a fantastic margin it lead to Stevens’ expansion into other bathroom fixtures and fittings; and in 2001
www.betterbathrooms.
com was born, a domain that would soon become the brand.
In leading the internet revolution within an industry that traditionally relied on high street footfall, this enabled Stevens to take market share from competitor failings. Little overhead costs allowed Better Bathrooms to offer ‘better’ value, a factor, which remains at the heart of operations even today.
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In the years of trading that followed, Stevens upheld a dynamic and ambitious approach, with a passionate belief in ‘being there first, launching fast and fixing quickly’. Despite an often risky ethos, this determined and fearless manner helps the team try new things, never afraid to go back to the drawing board.
to continue this multi-channel approach, which saw the 14,000sq ft Warrington store open in 2008,
ft Manchester store in 2010. In January 2013, the flagship Wigan Store earned a well-deserved move to a new 20,000 sq ft premise, which now boasts the largest tile showroom area in the North West.
followed by a 10,000sq
CEO of
www.betterbathrooms.com United Kingdom
providing a significant boost for the country’s economy and the retail industry. BGF took a minority stake in the company and joined the board. In addition, BGF introduced Paul Gilbert, non- executive chairman of The Gym Group and former FD of Matalan as the new non-executive chairman of the business.
FINANCE MONTHLY CEO AWARDS 2014
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At just 21, the British entrepreneur began from his bedroom selling taps on eBay.
In 2003, a night on the town led to Stevens spotting a ‘to-let’ sign, and within seven days the lease was signed and the first Better Bathrooms store opened in Wigan. Attracting a nationwide customer base, spawned from the retailer’s eBay successes, Stevens and the team spent the next two years renovating the 1,500sq ft store section by section.
In re-investing profits back into the business helped Better Bathrooms achieve phenomenal growth, whilst enabling Stevens
In June 2013, The Business Growth Fund (BGF) invested £10m of growth capital in the company. As a result, Better Bathrooms has branched out of the North- West with two new showrooms; a 30,000 sq ft premise in Leicester, which opened in December 2014, and more recently a 17,000 sq ft showroom in Slough, which opened on 3rd June 2014.
Following the investment, Better Bathrooms is on track to create 500 new jobs across the UK over the course of the next five years,
As CEO of Better Bathrooms, Stevens firmly believes in offering the best value within their industry by ensuring customer satisfaction remains fundamental to daily operations. From the start, Stevens’ web mentality has helped in delivering a continuous quality buying experience to the customer. With such a direct business approach, the retailer can offer the best-discounted quality products. With a £15M retail stock holding value, the multi-channel retailer now occupies five impressive showrooms, an innovative online
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