100% of the shareholding of Roper Rhodes Ltd has been acquired by Svedbergs Group as of 1 December 2021.

Svedberg Group operate exclusively in the bathroom sector across the Nordic region, and they are specialists in the design and manufacture of bathroom products and most notably bathroom furniture, so there is a great strategic fit and multiple synergies for both businesses.

Mark and Paul Roper will leave the business with immediate effect, although current Managing Director, Leigh Leather, and fellow directors Will Steele, Simon Taylor and Chris Vallance will all remain on the Roper Rhodes operational board.

As majority shareholders, Mark and Paul Roper, whose father Brian Roper founded the business in 1979, and the board of directors have said they believe that this acquisition is great news for the future of the company.

Svedberg Group reportedly targeted the acquisition of Roper Rhodes because the company fits with one of their key strategic objectives to acquire market-leading brands in the bathroom sector in key European markets. They identified Roper Rhodes as a great strategic fit with three strong brands (Roper Rhodes, Tavistock & R2), impressive customer retention, employee loyalty, a focus on innovation and product development along with a long track record of profitable sales growth in the UK.

MD Leigh Leather will report directly into Svedberg Group CEO, Per-Arne Andersson, but for all other employees, there is likely to be little if no change in the day to day running of the current organisation.

Leigh Leather, Managing Director Roper Rhodes Ltd commented;

 “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”.

Svedbergs Group is one of the Nordic region’s leading bathroom suppliers with comprehensive ranges for the entire bathroom including product categories such as; furniture, shower enclosures, bathtubs, heated towel rails, taps, showers, sanitaryware and bathroom accessories. Most of the product ranges are designed & manufactured in the Group’s factories in Dalstorp and Laholm. Products are sold and distributed under three brands; Svedbergs, Macro Design and Cassøe.

The parent company Svedbergs i Dalstorp AB was started in 1920 manufacturing tin and in 1962 switched to manufacturing bathroom cabinets. During the seventies bathroom furniture was developed and during the eighties, the current focus began to develop, manufacture and market the complete bathroom under Svedberg’s own brand.

Svedberg i Dalstorp AB is headquartered in Dalstorp Sweden and has been listed on the Swedish stock exchange since 1997.

Per-Arne Andersson, President and CEO of Svedbergs Group commented;

”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 Rhodes is well-managed and financially strong with a strong market position and more than 40 years in the industry in the United Kingdom. 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 grow 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’ strategy to grow organically and through strategic acquisitions and let companies operate independently with their own management and strategic focus areas while benefitting from Svedbergs’ central functions and experience.”

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WAF Headline partner GROHE awards Water Research Prize to Techlab laboratory’s façade solution which tackles water scarcity around the globe with a unique design project inspired by nature.

Greener, cleaner cities

Ecological concerns regarding city planning, biodiversity and sustainability demand the overall need to create healthier, safer surroundings, now more than ever. That is why this year’s festive theme will be focused around “Resetting the City“.

As concepts for sourcing clean energy, reducing pollution, and clean water supplies are now directly impacted by the effects of the pandemic, they are becoming the centre of urban planning strategies across the globe, and have also become the focus of this year’s festival.

A total of 320 hours of inspiring keynotes, sessions and panel discussions will be presented to the WAF community. As a highlight of this year’s festival, architects from all over the world come together to compete with one another to win “The World Building of the Year”, an award which will be unveiled by GROHE on Friday 3rd December as the festival‘s grand finale.

Inspired by nature – a win to fight global water scarcity

GROHE is, once again awarding the annual Water Research Prize to projects aimed at finding creative solutions for water in urban environments. This year’s award goes to Techlab laboratory and its “Aquasorbant Façade“.

Inspired by the Namib desert beetle, the research team designed a façade using honeycomb-like modules which absorb and use moisture in the air to reach indoor thermal comfort.

The Kitchen Bathroom Buying Group (KBBG), part of DER KREIS, a leading kitchen and bathroom buying group, has expanded its members’ offering with the addition of Swift to its portfolio.

With over 40 years’ experience, Swift supplies kitchen appliances, sinks and taps to the independent sector. The new addition expands the choice of appliances, sinks, taps, kitchen accessories and lighting available to KBBG members, supporting and increasing the success of their businesses.

Swift is a major stockist of many leading appliance brands, including Bosch, Candy, Hoover, Hotpoint, Liebherr, Neff, and Whirlpool. Swift, as a supplier to the KBBG, gives members of the buying group access to a new portfolio of brands, bringing new opportunities and more choice for members and their customers.

Chris Honer, Managing Director, Swift, comments: “Everyone at Team Swift is delighted to have been appointed the KBBG distributor of choice and we look forward to supplying the membership with our range of Big Brands across sinks, taps and appliances.”

Bill Miller, Managing Director, KBBG, adds: “We’re delighted to have Swift on-board and already our members have been overwhelmingly positive with the new portfolio addition.

“Consumers often enter a showroom with a particular appliance brand in mind, so it’s great to be able to expand the choice available to our members to help them create their customer’s dream kitchen.”

For more information on the KBBG, call Bill Miller on 07887 247811 or email b.miller@derkreis.co.uk

Supplier of heating and bathroom products to the showroom and merchant sector Kartell UK, has acquired Vogue (UK) and UK Bespoke Products in a multi-million pound deal.

Headquartered in Willenhall, West Midlands, Vogue is a designer and manufacturer of heated towel rails and associated products.

Vogue employs more than 80 people, has traded for more than 30 years, and delivers more than £14m in annual sales.

The acquisition by Kartell will support Vogue’s growth in both the UK and internationally, where the company has an existing presence in the US market. It will also enable a wider range of products and services to be offered to both Kartell and Vogue’s customer base.

Vogue will continue to operate as a standalone business within the Kartell group under the guidance of its existing management team. On-going integration and leadership support will be given from founders Ray Tunks and Rob Kelley.

Founded in 2008, the Kartell group turns over in excess of £110m from its brands which includes K-RAD, K-VIT and JT. The group employs more than 350 people across principal sites in Bedford, Wigan and Leeds.

Kartell was advised by FRP Corporate Finance’s East Midlands team, led by Harry Walker, with legal advice from a team led by Ravi Goonesena of Fladgate LLP and financial due diligence provided by Price Bailey LLP.

CEO of Kartell Alex Norford commented: “The acquisition of Vogue represents a clear and strategic step in our growth strategy and further establishes our position at the forefront of the UK radiator and bathroom sector.

“When the opportunity to partner with the team at Vogue arose we immediately identified the strategic fit this acquisition represents and we are delighted to announce the deal.

“Everyone at Kartell is excited about working with Ray, Rob and the team at Vogue to address the multiple market opportunities in the UK, Europe and International export markets.

“Our shared focus of best-in-class quality and service will bring added value to all of the group’s customers and stakeholders.”

Ray Tunks, co-founder of Vogue, said: “Vogue is something I am very proud of and has a renowned history which has been developed by a highly skilled and knowledgeable workforce over the last 30 years.

“In this post-pandemic environment, I am confident the investment from Alex and Kartell will enable future growth and secure an exciting future for Vogue, all its staff and the Kartell Group.”

Co-founder of Vogue Robert Kelley added: “Vogue’s success can be attributed to the continual endeavour to provide the best-in-class service and high-quality products to our markets and customers.

“We wanted to find the ideal home for the business to complement and accelerate the work we have done as a team over the last 30 years and believe Alex and the wider Kartell group are the right people to take Vogue forward.

“The last 30 years has been a fantastic story for everyone involved and there have been an awful lot of people along the way who have made a considerable contribution. I would like to thank them all.”

Harry Walker, partner at FRP Corporate Finance, said: “We were delighted to once again support Kartell with acquisition advice.

“Having worked with Kartell before, we had a strong understanding of their business and future plans, so were able to bring the strategic opportunity to acquire Vogue to Kartell’s attention. We then supported Alex and the team in negotiating, managing and closing the deal, which is set to add huge value to both businesses.”

The shareholders of Vogue were advised by MHA MacIntyre Hudson’s corporate finance team, with legal advice from Brindley Twist Taft & James LLP.

Shawbrook Bank provided Kartell with a cashflow facility to finance the acquisition of Vogue and were advised by a team from Shoosmiths LLP, led by John Bew.

Compusoft and 2020, two industry-leading software providers for residential and commercial spaces, have successfully united in a merger of equals to create one company dedicated to powering the sales of customers who create spaces for life.

Reportedly, the combined group delivers a global footprint with significantly expanded scale. Complemented by local expertise the merger will enable the group to better serve customers in more countries than ever before. The combined group will have cross-functional teams based across Europe, North America, South America, Africa and Asia Pacific.

Together, the group will specialise in providing solutions for the visualisation, configuration, pricing, quoting and manufacturing of products in highly configured spaces. Its end-to-end solutions are designed to power sales across the value chain in the kitchen, bathroom, furniture and window & door industries. Customers will also benefit from an expanded network of world-class support and access to an unparalleled content platform that will be further enriched.

In addition, the merger brings together a collective 65+ years of industry expertise in technical development. A shared passion for innovation will drive the enlarged team to bring the most exciting solutions of tomorrow to customers even faster.

“We are excited about the possibilities this combination will give our customers. There will be an even broader range of solutions backed by an extensive content database to power the sales of our customers. Our combined expertise will also give us the ability to accelerate innovation and maximise the potential of our products to meet our customers’ needs.” comments David Tombre, CEO, Compusoft.

Mark Stoever, CEO, 2020 added, “People are our biggest asset and this combination brings together some
of the brightest minds in software from across the world, particularly in R&D, sales, content and support,
united to better serve our customers. We look forward to what the future holds.”

Further information on the roadmap of the future will be announced to customers in the coming months
and customers can contact their account managers should they have any questions.

About Compusoft
Compusoft provides visual CPQ solutions that simplify planning, configuration and visualisation to power
sales for the kitchen, bathroom, furniture and window & door industries. Founded in 1989, Compusoft is headquartered in Sarpsborg, Norway, and directly serves customers in more than 100 countries through offices in 18 across Europe, Asia-Pacific and North America.

For more information, please visit www.compusoftgroup.com

About 2020 Technologies Inc.
2020 helps professional designers, retailers and manufacturers in the interior design and furniture
industries capture ideas, inspire innovation and streamline processes by providing end-to-end solutions
and a large collection of manufacturers’ catalogues.

For more information, please visit www.2020spaces.com.

After six months of negotiations, Davroc has announced a new strategic partnership for nationwide distribution of the full Carron Bathrooms range.

Davroc has recently launched the Coalbrook brand, a range of design-led bathroom brassware products which are showcased The Market Building in Clerkenwell. Currently it distributes a number of well-known and trusted brands including Laufen, Bette, Roca, Aqualisa, Grohe, VitrA and more recently Alca and Drench.

Carron is a UK manufacturer of acrylic baths, based in Falkirk, Scotland, with manufacturing heritage dating back over 260 years to the Industrial Revolution. All baths are designed, manufactured and quality assured exclusively in the Carron factory in Falkirk. The product portfolio includes a range of rectangular and freestanding baths and whirlpools as well as a range of shower screens, panels and accessories.

Distribution by Davroc is due to commence from early December, with fast-moving product lines already in stock across their three warehouse and distribution centres in the UK. Davroc’s fleet of 36 vans and drivers means they are able to offer next day delivery service to the majority of the UK without the use of couriers or agencies.

Davroc has recruited an additional 17 team members within their office and distribution functions and is in the process of adding 6 more external sales managers to bring external representation to 18 nationwide.

Chris Dodds, Managing Director, Davroc comments “As a business, our partners are very important to us both in terms of their product, culture and most importantly their values. We have been in discussions with Carron for 6 months and we believe we have found a long-term partner who shares our goals of product quality and service. We are delighted to add Carron to our portfolio and look forward to working with James and the Carron team.”

James McMorrine, Managing Director, Carron Bathrooms Ltd comments “From our initial conversations with Davroc, it became apparent that our values were completely aligned in terms of product, innovation and service.  With a commitment to offering the optimum customer experience in the professional bathroom sector, Davroc undoubtedly share the same goals as Carron. We are excited to be involved with such a respected partner and look forward to working with Chris and the team at Davroc”