LEADING bathroom retailer, Bathshack has announced a £300k investment that has seen the opening of two new stores in Northern Ireland and the creation of 10 new jobs.
A 4,000sq ft showroom was recently opened at Somerset Road in Coleraine, followed by the opening of a 6,000sq ft showroom in Enkalon Industrial Estate in Antrim. The latest investment brings the company’s total number of showrooms across the island of Ireland to eight.
The investment extends to the company’s warehousing and distribution infrastructure, which has resulted in the introduction of a warehouse management software system, and additional forklifts, racking and manual handling equipment. Additional delivery vehicles have been acquired, bringing the total number of vehicles in the fleet to 12, accommodating the company’s delivery service that extends across the whole island of Ireland. Further plans are also in place to expand in the Republic of Ireland later this year.
Established in 2009 by Peter Dunlop, Bathshack prides itself on providing high quality bathrooms at an affordable price. Since the pandemic, the company has experienced a surge in customer demand, which has resulted in a recruitment drive across its distribution, marketing, telesales and customer services departments. The total number of employees has increased by over 60% since July 2021.
Speaking about the recent investment, Managing Director, Peter Dunlop said, “Our ethos at Bathshack is to provide our customers with high-quality products at a competitive price. As a result, the demand for our products and services has continued to increase and we are in a fortunate position to be able to expand our offering to service customers within the Coleraine and Antrim areas.
“Increasing our commercial footprint across Northern Ireland, not to mention the Republic of Ireland, is something we have aspired to do since our establishment, and we’re delighted to be able to achieve that with our most recent openings. We’re currently exporting around 70% of our business to the UK and Ireland and it’s important to invest in the company so we can continue to provide the high level of service that we have become known for.”
Peter continued, “We’ve also recently announced the launch of our Tileshack brand, which includes the tileshack.com website. Tiles are fast becoming one of our most exciting product categories and this is an area where we’re seeing major growth. There will be lots of new tile ranges on display in both our Coleraine and Antrim showrooms.”
Whilst experiencing growth across all areas of the business, the company’s commercial projects continue to increase. Bathshack completed the fit out of ladies and gents’ toilets at Leighinmohr House Hotel as part of its recent renovation, as well as a 50-room serviced accommodation project in Milton Keyes for Errigal Contracts, which included the supply of all sanitary ware, tiles and flooring.
Bathshack offers a wide range of bathroom products from full suites to tiles, mirrors and taps, as well as bespoke designs and colours, which are made to measure on a two-week lead time.
The company is a supplier of the exclusive Josef Martin range, which is manufactured locally in County Antrim, and the Coleraine and Antrim stores will exclusively stock a range of new colour finishes and designs. It is also a supplier of brands including Viktor Benson, Insignia, Eliseo Ricci, and Hudson Reed. Visit bathshack.com for more information.
