VictoriaPlum.com

Victoria Plum Ltd.
Private
Industry Retail
Founded 2001 (Hull)
Founder Walker Group
Headquarters Hull, England, UK
Key people
 Jason Walker (CEO)
Products Bathroom Bedroom
Number of employees
 200+
Website victoriaplum.com

VictoriaPlum.com, a trading name of Victoria Plum Ltd, is an online bathroom and bedroom retailer. The company traded under the name Victoria Plumb up until 21 July 2015, when it was rebranded as VictoriaPlum.com, in order to emphasise the exclusively online nature of the business.

Founded in 2001, it has no physical shops or showrooms, as its business is concentrated on online and telephone sales. The company's distribution centre is based in Kingston upon Hull, and its headquarters are located in Hessle, East Riding of Yorkshire, just outside the city.[1]

History

The company was founded in 1999 as part of the Walker Group,[2] which also owns other popular homeware and furniture stores such as MFI Group.[3] The brand began trading in 2001 and has since seen consistent growth in sales and investment.[4] In late 2013 it was announced that the company was seeking the advice of KPMG on a proposed sale estimated at £150 million.[5][6]

Victoria Plum won the Retailer of the Year award in the home products section at the Venda ECMOD Direct Commerce Awards in London in May 2013.[7] The company is listed at number six in the SME rankings for Yorkshire.[8] In April 2014, private equity firm TPG Capital had invested £200 million in Victoria Plum after buying a majority stake.[9][10] Due to expansion, the company moved its headquarters to Hessle, East Riding of Yorkshire in October 2014.[11]

On 12 April 2015 Victoria Plum appeared at number 81 in the Sunday Times Profit Track 100, which ranks the top 100 private UK companies with the fastest growth in their profits over a three-year period.[12]

On 21 July 2015, the company changed its main trading name from Victoria Plumb to VictoriaPlum.com, to emphasise the exclusively online nature of the business. A new logo and strapline – “Your home” – was also introduced, as the brand announced it would be moving into other areas of the home, starting with bedrooms.[13]

Operations

VictoriaPlum.com designs, makes and supplies a range of bathroom products from its headquarters in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

In September 2013 the company launched a revamped version of its website optimised for mobile browsing, aimed at enabling customers browsing in physical stores to compare products and prices online. A survey by the retailer also found that builders working on site found the website useful for finding products for custom bathrooms.[14] In December 2013, the brand announced an expansion in its range for the following year following consultations with its customers.[15]

On 2 June 2014, Victoria Plum expanded their range by introducing bathroom tiles to their collection.[16]

On 2 September 2015, VictoriaPlum.com moved out of the bathroom for the first time in its history to introduce their first range of bedroom furniture, beds and mattresses.[17]

Advertising

Towards the end of 2012, the company launched its first ever television advertising campaign. It employed the help of Leeds-based ad agency Principles in creating the advert, with Carat in Manchester recruited to handle media planning and buying.[18][19] In early 2013 the company reported a significant rise in sales, from £19.1 million to £26.2 million.[20] Buoyed by the relative success of the first run of adverts, the company launched a second campaign in 2013, this time working with CheethamBellJWT,[21] with the tagline "Quality bathrooms, not costly showrooms",[22][23] - the advert won campaign of the week in trade magazine Retail Week.[24]

In September 2014, Victoria Plum signed up to sponsor the remakes of popular shows Celebrity Squares hosted by Warwick Davis and Sunday Night at the Palladium, to be hosted by a different comedian every week.[25]

Charity partner

In late 2014, Victoria Plum ran a poll to choose which charity would become its official charity partner for 2015. WellChild – the national charity for sick children – received the most votes and became the official charity partner.[26] The company has since donated £1 to this charity for every customer review it receives on Trustpilot and its staff have taken part in fundraising events, including running the London Marathon and completing the National Three Peaks Challenge, to raise money.

References

  1. ↑ "Victoria Plum Limited". Company Check. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  2. ↑ "The Walker Group". Walker Group.
  3. ↑ "Refurbished MFI set to launch online". Financial Times. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
  4. ↑ "Sales soar at online bathroom retailer". Insider News Yorkshire. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  5. ↑ "Victoria Plumb taps up buyers". Sunday Times. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
  6. ↑ "Victoria Plumb poised for sale". DIY Week. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  7. ↑ "Victoria Plumb scoop Retailer of the Year award". Construction.co.uk. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  8. ↑ "Victoria Plumb placed within Yorkshire's top 11 SMEs". Huddled.co.uk. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
  9. ↑ "Victoria Plumb set for £200 million boost as housing market picks up". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  10. ↑ "Victoria Plumb sells stake to TPG". The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  11. ↑ "Victoria Plumb creates new jobs at Hessle business park office". Hull Daily Mail. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  12. ↑ "The Sunday Times BDO Profit Track 100 league table 2015". The Sunday Times Fast Track. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
  13. ↑ "Plum role for online bathroom retailer as group creates new brand image". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  14. ↑ "Victoria Plumb lanuches new mobile experience". Retail Technology. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  15. ↑ "Victoria Plumb introduces exciting new product ranges for 2014". PR Web. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
  16. ↑ "Victoria Plumb launches range of bathroom tiles". KBB Daily. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  17. ↑ "Victoria Plumb launches new brand identity as it expands into bedrooms". The Drum. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  18. ↑ "Victoria Plumb to launch first TV Campaign". Marketing Magazine. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  19. ↑ "Victoria Plumb to launch first TV Campaign". Brand Republic. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  20. ↑ "Online bathroom firm on the market". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  21. ↑ "Victoria Plumb appoint Cheethambell JWT". The Drum. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  22. ↑ "Victoria Plumb blasts bathrooms showrooms as unnecessary". KBB Review. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
  23. ↑ "Victoria Plumb slammed over advert claims". KBB Review. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  24. ↑ "Victoria Plumb voted 'campaign of the week' by Retail Week". Cheethambell JWT.
  25. ↑ "Investments help victoria plumb clean up". Insider Media Limited. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  26. ↑ "WellChild delighted to be Victoria Plumb's chosen charity". WellChild. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
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