 | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Bathroom Retailer |
| Founded | 1990 Croydon, London |
| Headquarters | Milton keynes, England, United Kingdom |
Key people | Ian Penney (Director) |
| Products | Bathroom |
Number of employees | 140 (2019, post buy out by Homebase) |
| Parent | Homebase |
| Website | www |
Bathstore.com Ltd., (also known as bathstore) is the largest specialist bathroom retailer in the United Kingdom. [1]
Bathstore was originally started in the beginning of the 1990s by Patrick Riley and Nico de Beer, with the idea to bring quality design led bathrooms into a wider retail arena. The company published one catalogue that contained all its products for the complete bathroom, with real retail prices.[ citation needed ]
The ethos was to focus on the home owner, rather than the trade buyer. In June 2014, bathstore was sold as part of a management buy out led by chief executive [2] In June 2003, bathstore was acquired by in the United Kingdom. [3] Mr Watson announced plans to sell off Bathstore in November 2017. [4]
It launched its first television advertising campaign in December 2006. In November 2007, its television advertisements used CGI technology for the first time, incorporating water animation to bring life and movement to the products being showcased. These advertisements were voiced by the star from Spooks and Cold Feet , Hermione Norris. [5]
A period of rapid expansion and brand development under the leadership of executive chairman Nick Nearchou established the business as a speciality bathroom retailer, with more than 150 showrooms in the United Kingdom by the end of 2007.[ citation needed ] In 2009, the warehousing and delivery operation was transferred to DHL Supply Chain, at their facility at the Daventry International Railfreight Terminal near Crick.[ citation needed ]
In May 2012, bathstore was acquired by the turnaround specialist company Endless LLP from Wolseley PLC, as a non core asset acquisition for £15 million cash.[ citation needed ]
In June 2014, bathstore was sold as part of a management buyout led by chief executive Gary Favell. In April 2017, bathstore branched out into kitchens and bedrooms. They opened two new fascia Haus Stores in Farnborough and Lakeside, having acquired two former Betta Living premises on 14 April 2017. [6]
On 26 June 2019, bathstore went into administration. [7] [1] At the time, bathstore had 135 stores in the United Kingdom, employing over five hundred people. [7] In July 2019, it was announced that Homebase had purchased over forty four stores, and that all remaining stores would cease trading once stock was sold. [8]
The company was nominated and shortlisted for the Retail Week Awards, as the Best Specialist Retailer in 2007 and 2008. [9]
B&Q is a British multinational DIY and home improvement retailing company, with headquarters in Eastleigh, England. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kingfisher plc. It was founded in March 1969 by Richard Block and David Quayle.
British Home Stores, commonly abbreviated to BHS and latterly legally styled BHS Ltd, was a British department store chain, primarily selling clothing and household items. In its later years, the company began to expand into furniture, electronics, entertainment, convenience groceries and fragrance and beauty products.
Budgens Stores Ltd, trading as Budgens, is a chain of grocery stores in the United Kingdom. The business was founded in 1872 by John Budgen, who opened the first shop in Maidenhead, Berkshire and was incorporated as a private limited company on 28 May 1962. The company is a subsidiary and retail fascia of Booker Group, part of Tesco plc.
Focus DIY was a privately owned chain of DIY stores in the United Kingdom. It served the consumer DIY market sector, and most stores had some form of garden centre.
HHGL Limited, trading as Homebase, is a British home improvement retailer and garden centre with stores across the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. Founded by Sainsbury's and GB-Inno-BM in 1979, the company was owned by Home Retail Group from October 2006, until it was sold to the Australian conglomerate Wesfarmers in January 2016.
Bunnings Group Limited, trading as Bunnings Warehouse or Bunnings, is an Australian household hardware and garden centre chain. The chain has been owned by Wesfarmers since 1994, and has stores in Australia and New Zealand.
Habitat, is a brand of household furnishings in the United Kingdom and the main homewares brand within the Sainsbury's group.
MFI Group Limited was a British furniture retailer, operating under the MFI brand. The company was one of the largest suppliers of kitchens and bedroom furniture in the United Kingdom, and operated mainly in retail parks in out of town locations. Anecdotally, it was said at one stage that one in three Sunday lunches in the United Kingdom were cooked in a kitchen from MFI, and 60% of British children were conceived in a bedroom from MFI.
Our Price was a chain of record stores in the United Kingdom and Ireland from 1971 until 2004.
Wesfarmers Limited is an Australian conglomerate, headquartered in Perth, Western Australia. It has interests predominantly in Australia and New Zealand, operating in retail, chemical, fertiliser, industrial and safety products. With revenue of A$30.8 billion in the 2020 financial year, it is one of Australia's largest companies by revenue. Wesfarmers is also one of the largest private employers in Australia, with approximately 107,000 employees.
Home Retail Group plc was a home and general merchandise retailer based in the United Kingdom. It was the parent company of Argos and Habitat, and once owned the do it yourself chain Homebase before selling it to the Australian retailer Wesfarmers in February 2016. Home Retail Group was listed on the London Stock Exchange, until it was acquired by the British supermarket company Sainsbury's for £1.4 billion on 2 September 2016.
T. J. Hughes, registered and styled as TJ Hughes, is a British discount department store brand which first emerged in Liverpool in 1912.
Maplin Electronics is the trading name of an online retailer of electronic goods in the United Kingdom and Ireland launched in 2019, using the brand of the former company Maplin Electronics Ltd., which operated from 1972 to 2018.
The Range is a multi-channel retailer selling products in the home, garden, and leisure categories, with over 210 stores in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Edinburgh Woollen Mill (EWM) is a Carlisle-based retailer specialising in clothing, along with interests in homewares and destination shopping for tourists. It was previously owned by the Dubai-based British billionaire Philip Day.
Hygena is a dormant brand of fitted kitchen and furniture in the United Kingdom.
Hilco Capital is a British international company based in London, England that specialises in restructuring and refinancing other companies.
Modelzone is a scale model brand owned by British retailer WHSmith, of scale models and related products are sold in WHSmith stores and online.
MK One was a British fashion retailer.
Schreiber was a brand of fitted kitchen and furniture operating in the United Kingdom.