Bathroom Brands // Advertisement Feature
Strategy and stimulus I
Bathroom Brands CEO Stephen Ewer on how embracing market realities can lead to new strategies, innovation and support. Agility and adaptability are the new watchwords.
In a market defined by slow growth, squeezed margins, and intense competition, Bathroom Brands CEO
Stephen Ewer (left) is focusing less on short-term forecasting and more on long-term adaptability. Strategic investment, customer relationships and, above all, a belief in the power of design are forming the backbone of the company’s strategy – sitting still in an inactive
market simply isn’t an option as far as he is concerned “The market went backwards last year,” he says. “And our planning actually assumes a series of shallow growth years and it could possibly take us beyond 2027 just to get back to 2023 levels.” This outlook for market growth – albeit marginal – is underpinned by two assumptions: a slow but steady increase in the house build sector and a gradual recovery in consumer confidence. “We’re not anticipating another economic crisis, but we’re also not expecting a rapid rebound,” he explains. “So, our strategy is built around adaptability rather than prediction.” Independent retailers remain the core customers of Bathroom Brands and
to serve that sector to the standards they expect, Ewer acknowledges that suppliers need to understand how hard the market is for small businesses. “They’re operating in a tough environment, facing cost hikes from national insurance increases, rising business rates and utility bills. They need stimulus from their supplier partners, not strain.”
Evolution A critical part of the company’s long-term strategy is ‘Project Evolve’, a full-
scale technology upgrade designed to future-proof the business. However, as Ewer candidly admits, the transition did cause significant strain on their retail partners’ patience. “We experienced significant disruption when we launched the new modules late last year. I sincerely regret that and truly understand how painful it was for our customers and our teams, but thankfully we’re through it now. We’ve returned to normal service and are starting to see the benefits. “We’ve moved from legacy systems to a modern platform that supports
data-driven decision-making, greater customer visibility, and supply chain efficiency. For example, we have a full view of customer interactions in real time and that gives us a wealth of data to constantly improve customer experience.”
And this need to understand the details in more depth is, according to Ewer,
down to the volatility within the market making traditional ways of planning less reliable. “If you’re forecasting sales and product mix six or seven months out, even small shifts can leave you overstocked or unable to service demand. That’s why our focus is on building agility into the business.” For Bathroom Brands, the market stimulus its retailers want comes in the
32 kbbreview May 2025
form of carefully structured promotions and pricing strategies. “We focus on price stability and protecting retail margins. We’re giving consumers an attractive headline discount while ensuring our partners aren’t being undercut after all their effort.” Importantly, Ewer stresses that Bathroom Brands does not chase fire-sale
tactics. “We don’t do random promotions. We have a promotional calendar our retailers can rely on. By the end of this year, we will have held our prices for 36 months - and in some cases, we’ve even reduced them.” The market is becoming increasingly competitive, and Ewer says
differentiation remains key. “Our strategy is built on being design-led, offering full bathroom solutions, and democratising design. That means bringing style and quality to every price point.” The acquisition of Showerwall earlier this year fits neatly into that vision
extending its reach from everything in front of the wall to the wall itself. Although not originally a target, the Showerwall brand became an
opportunity too good to miss when parent company IDS went into administration. “We were already exploring wall panelling as a category and had other acquisition targets in mind,” Ewer explains. “But when the situation with IDS arose, we moved quickly and retained the core commercial and
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