Member Article

BathEmpire.com in £5 million move

A company started in a spare bedroom just seven years ago has announced a major £5 million investment programme in Warwickshire which is set to create around 200 jobs.

Luxury For Less, a multi-channel online bathroom retailer based in Exhall, has bought the former headquarters of Adams Childrenswear in Nuneaton.

The firm, founded by entrepreneur Chris Li and university friend Vicky Wang, plans to complete a move to the 169,000 sq ft complex on the Attleborough Fields industrial estate early next year.

The pair launched Luxury For Less in 2006 and have since established it as a leading online retailer selling bathroom furniture, equipment and accessories direct to the public via BathEmpire.com and its trade brand Kirby Sebastian.

They moved the operation from Brighton to the Coventry area in 2008 to take advantage of the area’s superior transport links and access to good commercial space, and were initially based in Bayton Road before relocating to Longford Road in Exhall where they have been since 2011.

The company, which designs and sources its own products, has grown rapidly in the last few years and turned over £14 million in 2012 – a figure which is expected to grow to £20 million by the end of 2013.

Just last week BathEmpire.com announced an £8.5 million investment by ISIS Equity Partners allowing it to put the expansion plans into place.

Chris, founder and CEO, said: “We have a strong growth plan which we are currently exceeding. This is a vital move for us as it will give us significantly more room for our warehousing and stock operations as well as our office accommodation.

“We currently employ around 100 in our team but expect that to grow to around 300 in the next three years.

“The move will allow us to create and stock many more lines and to explore new areas of the market. The headquarters is more than double the size of our existing base.

“We have built up a fantastic team since moving to the Midlands and they have been fundamental to our success.

“We could easily have looked outside the region but our team is key to our growth and our reputation for customer care. We have had great assistance from Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, who clearly wanted us in their region.

“The new headquarters is just a few miles away and we are creating what should be a fantastic working environment for all our staff.”

Fit out work on the new building is due to start in the next two weeks and will eventually include 28,000 sq ft of new offices, vastly improved team facilities and possibly the company’s first public showroom.

Councillor Dennis Harvey, Leader of Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, said: “It is fantastic that BathEmpire.com has decided to relocate their head office to Nuneaton as part of its expansion, especially to the old Adams building which has been such a flagship example of the Borough’s strong economy in the past.

“The Council worked with the company and made a case for it to come here and it is fantastic news for the local economy that a company like BathEmpire.com, which is clearly on the up, decided to make Nuneaton its home - creating new job opportunities for local people and boosting our economy.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Pete Squires .