RETAILER PROFILE | Luck and Fuller
KENNETH LUCK ON…
EMPLOYING INSTALLERS We can guarantee the quality that little bit more and we have a bit more control over where people are each day. It makes them feel secure as well, which is important to us as a young business.
WORKFLOW We’ve put a lot of work into making sure the admin side of the business is just as polished as our displays. That’s been helpful so we can ensure we’ve always got a steady stream of work booked in.
BUSINESS PROGRESS It’s fantastic to think about how far we’ve come since winning our award We’re normally so focused on looking forwards, so it’s nice to take a moment to look back.
few weeks as an apprentice. My business partner was fitting, but now he’s pulled away to more of a project manager
role. We’ve grown three
times over since we started. As a finishing touch, Luck & Fuller even has a dedicated cleaning team that visits finished projects to tidy up halls, stairs, landings, and bedrooms,
The perfect market So, for such a design-led showroom, who is Luck & Fuller’s notional target demographic? “We’ve done supply and fit for people in their 20s with beautiful homes. We do also have a lot of customers in their 40s, who usually have around four-bedroom homes. We don’t really have a demographic customer – it’s all down to budget.” According to the Office for National Statistics, the average house price in Britain this year is around £304,000, but in Billericay, average house prices are more in the realm of £585,000, so
residents are among those who can likely afford a new bathroom or two in the current economy. Still, “there’s only so many bathrooms in Billericay”, Luck says. “We haven’t pushed further afield just yet, although I’d like to do that in the next six months or so. We’re keen to grow steadily without overstretching ourselves.” Due to the on-trend look of the showroom, as well as the affluent local area, Luck says that very few of its customers come in for a single supply product. “We just listen to what’s important to people – either style, quality, budget or design, and we home in on what they’re after.” Luck estimates that the team has completed around 200 bathrooms, most of which are in the area of around £15,000 to £25,000. “We have done the odd plain grey or white,” he explains, “but that’s not really our personality as designers.” It’s easy to think that, true to name, the business has just been extremely
lucky. However, the real secret to Luck & Fuller’s success lies in its willingness to change, adapt, and learn as it goes.
Learning curve
Luck candidly admits that he’s probably made a lot of mistakes along the way: “Where we are now is version three or four. We had bathroom displays for £20,000 and we had displays for £2,000 with everything in between. We learnt very quickly our customers want better quality, designs that are a little more out there, and products that are a bit more weird and wonderful.”
Anyone who’s walked past the
and whites, and right now, we have a lot more autumnal colours.” Luck & Fuller’s front window display has become a local landmark thanks to its bright pink bath, but this is even more true around Christmas time, where it’s adorned with larger-than-life baubles piled high in the bathtub. Despite its successes, it
still feels
The bathroom industry needs to step its game up a little bit, and we need to really have some fun with colours
showroom will have noticed the little touches throughout the space that help keep up with the seasons. Upon entering, visitors are greeted by an iconic Thomas Crapper display, which cleverly incorporates an eye-grabbing living wall. Although the Thomas Crapper is a showroom mainstay, the feature wall changes on a regular basis. “In the spring we have purples
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like there’s more on the horizon for Luck & Fuller. “I do honestly believe that if you’re not moving forwards, you go backwards,” Luck muses. “I think there’s a big market sector we don’t really look at. Supply and fit between £15,000 and £25,000 is our wheel- house, and we’re comfortable there, but we really don’t want to become blinkered.”
To finish, what’s the biggest lesson that the team have learned along the way? It’s clearly something he’s thought about at length before, so Luck doesn’t miss a beat before responding: “We may not be the biggest showroom, but I’ve learnt that the devil is
in the detail, and it’s all
about how you present yourself that really matters.”
• December 2023
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