Bathrooms at Source | RETAILER PROFILE
Source, which will be a plumbing trade counter. One bay has been cleared for it next to the showroom’s side entrance, with a door through to the warehouse, where an area has been allocated to house the stock.
Natural progression Terry
explains: “It is a natural
progression. We are never going to retire on selling plumbers fittings, but it gives us another thing under the At Source umbrella that will drive people in. It also means our own fitters can buy from us.” Sarah sees another advantage: “It is embarrassing when someone comes into a bathroom shop for just a set of taps, and you have to send them to a plumbers merchant, because
a
bathroom shop does not stock sets of taps. Or maybe a washer. And it may bring different people through the door.” Sarah tells me that they are also
having a rethink on brands. “We are moving some of the brands across to the plumbing counter and the
plumbingatsource.com website. The brands that want to partner with us and protect us will be in the showroom. It will involve a complete showroom
August 2023 •
refurb over the next 18 months.” Sarah adds: “We have never been brand collectors. We want to partner with more niche businesses that aren’t everywhere. Terry has always called us brand builders. The IPG Bathroom Collection Protected is something that we will be pushing massively. We were the first bathroom showroom to go into the IPG [buying group].”
I ask about the philosophy behind the business. Terry sums it up: “I believe we have a unique proposition. Many bathroom businesses these days have a high turnover of staff. We have this little bubble. Sarah has done it for 22 years. My other sister has done it for 19 years. I have done it for 40 years. Leigh Irvine, our warehouse manager, has been doing it for 25 years. There is continuity, there is experience. It is not about selling. It is about
what customers need. We
always ask about dimensions, what boiler they have, etc. It’s got to be right. It’s got to be service-driven.” Sarah sums it up with the words: “integrity, trust, honesty and loyalty”. So who are their customers? Sarah they
says are mainly young professionals in the Wandsworth, 59
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
