NEWS | Round-up
Roper Rhodes acquired by Svedbergs Group
People are funny and as if to
prove it our bathroom retailer recalls some of their
craziest moments dealing with customers in the first of a regular series
Toilet humour
OPEN A BATHROOM showroom, they said. It’ll be fun they, said… Well I don’t know about fun. At times it can feel a lot more fractious than fun, but what it definitely is, is fun-ny. If you stay too long in a bathroom showroom, at some point someone will try to return a used toilet seat, or even worse hand you one that you didn’t even sell them in the first place as they try to track down a replacement for a toilet that looks like it’s out of the ark. If you have ever been stood there, very British, client WC seat in hand, then spare a thought for one poor soul at our showroom who had to have a very, very awkward conversation with a client recently who called to say that their, um, ‘family jewels’ would no longer fit down the toilet seat hole in his new bathroom. Should we add this to our client consultation process? What size toilet seat hole do you need for your privates, sir? On the topic of toilets, another very ‘normal’-looking
client recently demonstrated how, when she likes to sit on her toilet, she likes to flap her arms like a bird. So having the basin close to the toilet was a big no-no – obviously too restrictive for her wing span. Who would have thought… taking your phone to the loo maybe, trying to take off in flight mid-poop, well that was a new one to us!
If you stay too long in a bathroom showroom, at some point or another, someone will try to return a used toilet seat
Among all of the potty talk, we do actually do some work, and manage to sell some bathrooms in the process. This pandemic has meant we have been on the blower more than usual. We’ve actually quite enjoyed nattering to suppliers and clients. and have even enjoyed venting, and vice versa, to trusted industry contacts only of course!
But when your client and supplier have the same
name, mistaken identity is inevitable, right? When your supplier was just this morning telling you how she would like to punch someone in throat (she was pretty stressed about a rude customer) and then later you get a call back from said supplier, it’s OK for you to answer the phone with, “have you punched anyone in the throat yet?” Right? Building relationships means having a bit of banter, right? Wrong! Our brand new client of the same name, whom we had never spoken to before, was a little shocked to be greeted in this way! Explain that one away, I dare you to try!
Perhaps our favourite ‘question of the week’ asked
by a client in stone-cold seriousness was: “What happens if you run into a shower screen?” Answers on a postcard, please. Be a bathroom designer, they said. Well OK, but only if we can write an anonymous column in a trade magazine so others can feel our pain!
8
ROPER RHODES has been acquired by Svedbergs Group, which the board welcomed a ‘fantastic custodian for the brand, customers and its employees’. The deal was completed on December 1.
Current managing director Leigh Leather and fellow directors Will Steele, Simon Taylor and Chris Vallance, will all remain on the Roper Rhodes operational board. Roper Rhodes has three brands – Roper Rhodes, Tavistock and R2. Sons of founder Brian Roper and majority shareholders Mark and Paul Roper have left the business. Svedbergs Group operates exclusively in the bathroom sector across the Nordic region, manufacturing bathroom products and most notably bathroom furniture. The parent company Svedbergs i Dalstorp AB was started in 1920 manufacturing tin and in 1962 switched to manufacturing bathroom cabinets. The acquisition is said to fit in with Svedbergs Group’s strategy to acquire brands in
the
bathroom sector in key European markets. Leather will report directly into Svedbergs Group CEO, Per-Arne Andersson. Leather said: “I am personally very excited for the future of our business and think this step offers strong continuity for both our employees and customers alike.”
Andersson added: “Roper Rhodes is a perfect match with Svedbergs Group’s strategy and ambition of becoming the leading bathroom supplier in selected markets in Europe. Roper
6.7 million Brits fall victim to rogue traders in 2021
OVER THE past year, 13% of the UK population fallen foul of rogue traders, according to Checkatrade.
The increased demand for tradespeople due to the home-improvement boom is said to have heightened the risk from disreputable traders. Increased pressure and the lack of skilled tradespeople have given cowboy traders a window of opportunity to take advantage. The fear of rogue traders has meant one-in- three consumers have put off carrying out a home improvement project, with more than half (55%) not confident they could distinguish between a cowboy and a verified trader.
Electrical (21%), roofing (21%), building (20%) and plumbing (20%) are the most common areas exploited by
rogue traders, according to Checkatrade.
Checkatrade has launched a new microsite on its website – the ‘Eliminating Rogue Trades Hub’ – as a way to help consumers fight back and stamp out rogue traders for good.
Rhodes is well-managed and financially strong with a strong market position and more than 40 years in the industry in the UK. The company is very similar to the other branded companies of the Svedbergs Group, with strong brands and innovative products in different sales channels and a diverse customer base. “Together with the experienced Roper Rhodes management team, we are looking forward to growth in the British market, which provides clear potential going forward due to its size and underlying demand for new homes and refurbishment. The acquisition of Roper Rhodes is in line with Svedbergs’s strategy to grow organically and through strategic acquisitions and let companies operate independently with their own management and strategic focus areas while benefiting from Svedbergs’s central functions and experience.” The Roper family has received numerous approaches and offers to sell the business to both private equity investors and multiple trade operators over the past few years.
Wickes raises profit forecast as sales remain strong
HOME-IMPROVEMENT retailer Wickes has increased its profit predictions for Q4 of 2021 to £83 million on the back of “resilient trading”.
Having previously forecast profits between £67m and £75m for the quarter, and with current analyst predictions of around £75m, The brand said in
its latest trading update:
“Wickes has continued to perform well in the fourth quarter to date, benefiting from our balanced business model, with sales in line with expectations.” Wickes divides its sales into three sectors –
DIY, trade and what it calls ‘Do It For Me’ (DIFM), where it offers a design and installation service. And it is in the DIFM sector that it has seen delivered sales strengthening “as we work through an elevated order pipeline”. The retailer added that it expected to see a carry-over
higher order book in DIFM,
“supported by continued strong sales, which will benefit the first half of FY2022”. Wickes said that core sales were lower year on year “against tough comparatives”, but remained “materially ahead” on a two-year basis. Sales for Wickes for the year to December 31, 2020 were £1.35 billion with an operating profit of £61m.
· January 2022
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