Ideal Bathrooms and Harrison Bathrooms’ partnership has grown steadily since the launch of Scudo in May 2023, and they have now announced that Ideal Bathrooms is further extending the partnership to include the luxurious Harrogate Collection.

This range includes stylish products that reflect the unique atmosphere of a thriving Yorkshire spa town. The collection features handmade pieces crafted using traditional joinery techniques. It combines elegant design with high-quality manufacturing to create a classic luxury bathroom that will always stay in style.

Shaun Corcoran, Harrison Bathrooms commercial director, said, “Our Harrogate collection is a perfect combination of timeless and contemporary construction. It offers the ultimate quality and precision and elevates a bathroom space. Ideal Bathroom’s unmatched delivery and servicing means our customers can benefit from additional access to these products.”

Will Hickman, Ideal Bathrooms sales and marketing Director, comments, “We are very excited to be expanding our partnership with Harrison Bathrooms with the addition of the Harrogate Collection after the successful launch of Scudo last year. The Harrogate traditional collection is stylish without compromising on quality or price and is a great addition to our portfolio for our customers.”

Since the initial partnership announcement, both companies’ customers have benefited from Ideal Bathrooms’ exceptional service proposition including no minimum order values and a next-day delivery service promise to 99% of the UK.

UK bath maker BC Designs has undergone a significant rebrand as the company sets out its vision to dominate the luxury end of the bathroom market. 

The new brand, which is centred on the BC Designs design credentials, celebrates the company’s use of British craftsmanship and finest materials to create centrepieces for the bathroom. 

Working with leading brand agency FreshBritain, BC Design’s new visual identity has been rolled out across all of the company’s touchpoints, including a new website, 144-page brochure, digital channels and POS.  

The new website, in particular, has a more pared-back and fluid feel and will be a point of inspiration for consumers. Continuing to support retailers, the website will sign-post homeowners to BC Designs retailer stockists throughout the UK. 

Along with a new visual identity, work is underway to strengthen the company’s product portfolio, both in terms of its core product of baths and in expanding into further bathroom categories. 

Jon Walker, Head of Marketing at BC Designs, says: “The investment in the new brand by BC Designs and parent group, Roxor, is an indication of the intent for BC Designs to take ownership of the luxury end of the bathroom market. 

“As a brand, we are already well known for quality and original design, and the rebrand reaffirms this positioning. While baths have been our core product and what we are most known for, the new brand will build on this to encompass all bathroom product design.

“Even with a new look, our core founding principles – quality, innovation and originality – remain the same, but with a modern approach and look. We are excited by the investment into BC Designs and how it will push forward the brand to support our retailers.”

For more information, visit www.bcdesigns.co.uk

In 2024, Roman is set to unveil a series of compelling compound development updates, with a key highlight being the deployment of two large electrical gates on the premises.

The gated area facilitates the establishment of a dedicated warehouse and picking area for finished goods. Controlled access to the premises is a strategic move aimed at prioritising a smoother operations system, which aligns with Roman’s commitment to operational excellence.

Contributing to a more streamlined workflow, the sealed section ensures that finished goods are handled with precision and care. This development is particularly pivotal in supporting Roman’s new national 48-hour delivery service, a testament to dedicated timely deliveries. Roman now holds 8,500 units of finished goods across key trade ranges, which allows products to be picked up on the same day to offer a new rapid delivery service.

David Osborne, chief executive officer, commented, “The installation of our new security gates is a significant stride in our commitment to efficiency and enhanced workflow. The recent developments will undoubtedly support our new initiatives, including the 48-hour delivery service. We’re excited about the positive impact this will have on our operations and, ultimately, on the experience of our valued customers.”

Leading design platform Houzz Inc. has released the 2024 Houzz UK State of the Industry.* which reveals home professionals anticipate revenue increases in 2024 following the 2023 Dip.

The report provides an outlook for 2024 and a review of 2023 performance for residential renovation and design businesses based on data reported by nearly 150 professionals in the Houzz community.

Companies across industry sectors have higher expectations for business performance in 2024 than expectations at the same time last year, with nearly half anticipating that 2024 will be a good or very good year (48% versus 40% in the same report a year ago). Pros forecast revenue growth along with improved demand for their services, despite rising costs of labour, products and materials. This follows the drop in gross revenue across the industry in 2023. 

“Home industry professionals are somewhat more optimistic heading into 2024 than they were at this time last year. They are expecting to turn the tide following a challenging year, where economic conditions, such as inflation and rising costs of labour and materials, resulted in fewer and smaller-scope projects,” said Marine Sargsyan, Houzz staff economist.

“With positive signs that inflation is easing somewhat and interest rates are stabilising, pros anticipate an increase in the demand for their services in 2024. Many pros adopted new processes and became more selective with the types of projects they’ll take on, making their businesses more resilient.”

Firms across the design and construction industry implemented a variety of strategies in response to the challenges they faced last year and now more than half of businesses expect gross revenues to increase in 2024 (53%), with one in five businesses expecting revenues to increase by 25% or more (22%). Strategies include bringing in larger-budget projects, adjusting pricing structures, and offering new products and services.

2024 Houzz UK State of the Industry: Major Findings

• Design and build firms are the most bullish: More than half of design and build firms expect that 2024 will be a good or very good year (53%), followed by interior designers and architects (52% and 48%, respectively). 
• Demand for services expected to improve: More than 3 in 5 businesses across industry groups anticipate heightened demand for their services (62%), which is more than 10 percentage points higher than last year (52%). Interior designers are the most confident, with nearly three-quarters expecting increased demand (73%), compared with architects and design and build pros (59% and 57%, respectively). 
• Costs of doing business rise: Nearly 4 in 5 firms across all of the industry groups cited an increase in the cost of doing business in 2023 (79%), albeit slightly less than the previous year (82%). Product and material costs were the biggest drivers (70%), followed by business insurance costs and subcontractor costs (38% and 34%, respectively). Architects were impacted the most significantly, with 4 in 5 citing an increase in the costs of doing business in 2023 (83%), followed by interior designers and design and build firms (74%, each). 
• Product and material availability improves: More than 2 in 5 businesses expected the availability of products and materials to improve (41%), with interior designers most optimistic (55%), followed by architects and design and build firms (29%, each). 
• Pros implement diverse business strategies: More than two-thirds of businesses plan to target larger budget projects (68%) and nearly as many plan to adjust pricing structures (65%) to achieve expected growth in 2024. Pros also plan to offer new products and services and expand their geographic area (38% and 32%, respectively). 

The complete 2024 Houzz UK State of the Industry report can be found here. 

*The Houzz UK State of the Industry was conducted among home renovation firms in the Houzz UK community that offer services related primarily to residential renovation and/or design. The study was fielded from December 2023 to January 2024. N=141.