RETAILER PROFILE | Bathrooms at Source


Sibling success P


Bathrooms at Source in south-west London is in its 26th year and is run by three siblings. Chris Frankland talks to Terry and Sarah Jones to find out more about this family business


eople love a family business. It engenders a trust and loyalty that


bigger, more corporate business esoften struggle to achieve. So when kbbreview learnt that a bathroom showroom in London was celebrating its 26th year in business and was run by three siblings, I went along to find out the secret of their success. Bathrooms at Source may have a long heritage but, as I found out when I sat down to talk to co-owner and founder Terry Jones and his sister and co-owner Sarah Jones, they are far from complacent, have already implemented changes in the business and have big plans for the future. First though, let’s look at how it all Jones


started. Terry launched the


business back in 1998 having worked previously in bathroom sales. His sister Sarah joined him in 2001 and bought a 50% share in the company, having worked in corporate management. Sister Rachel joined them in 2004 and had no experience in bathrooms but is now working in sales. Terry tells me that customers like dealing with a family business. “People do buy from people and when you’re a family business, you do care,” he explains. “When I walk people over to the tile studio, I introduce them to my other sister, and I am very proud of it. I think it reassures people when you have been here for 26 years and it is a family business.”


58


But as we all know, working with family can have its ups and downs. How has it worked for Bathrooms at Source? “It has worked beautifully,” says Terry. “It has had its politics, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. The work environment involves sacrifices in your personal life. We spend a lot of time at work and it’s very intense.”


Harmonious


Sarah adds: “When we were in our twenties, there were times when it was heated, but as we have matured it has become more harmonious. I don’t think we would have been as much of a success without each other.” The showroom itself is on


Wandsworth’s busy Garratt Lane with lots of passing footfall and traffic and sits on the corner with a side road,


which means it gives easy access to their warehouse.


The showroom extends back a long way and as you wander through it, other rooms open up revealing more displays. At the back, is a large area with displays of freestanding baths and a working showerhead display, with the sales desks and design stations at its furthest point.


But it doesn’t end there. On the opposite side of the road is the separate Tiles at Source showroom, which they opened in 2018. Sarah explains that they sell not only bathroom tiles, but tiles for kitchens and hallways,


outdoor paving and


Victorian flooring. They decided to separate it off so that they would be able to display more options, styles, colours and finishes.


And as Terry points out, “there are so many choice these days, you need a dedicated area, the knowledge and the time to do it properly”. Sarah adds: “We had already partnered with Ca’ Pietra and as time went on we found that we needed brands that could supply outdoor paving and Victorian flooring. Now we have nine tile brands. Large format tiles are selling more and we are trying to get away from some of the brands you see in every showroom. One reason we didn’t do tiles before was that people would just buy them online. Now they are moving away from online and want to deal with people.” But Tiles at Source is just one of the changes they have made to the business. At the time of my visit, an area is being prepared for Plumbing at


• August 2023


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72