Bathstore
A British specialist bathroom retailer whose brand and product range are now sold through the Homebase and The Range retail network.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Bathstore is a British specialist bathroom retail brand founded in 1990 by Patrick Riley and Nico de Beer in Croydon, South London. The business was created to make design-led bathroom products more accessible to homeowners, rather than focusing primarily on trade buyers. Its early retail proposition combined a single catalogue covering a complete bathroom with published retail prices, helping customers plan bathrooms through a specialist, consumer-facing format. The company expanded from its South London origins into a national showroom network. By the end of 2007 it had more than 150 United Kingdom showrooms, and its estate later reached approximately 168 locations in the mid-2010s. Its range covered the principal elements of a bathroom installation, including baths, showers, toilets, taps and related bathroom equipment. The brand positioned itself as a specialist destination offering coordinated bathroom design rather than as a general hardware or plumbing-supply retailer. Bathstore was acquired by Wolseley in June 2003 for an undisclosed sum. Under Wolseley ownership, the business continued to develop its specialist retail model and increased its marketing activity. It began television advertising in December 2006, and its 2007 campaign used computer-generated imagery and animated water effects to present bathroom products. The company was shortlisted for the Retail Week Awards' Best Specialist Retailer category in both 2007 and 2008. In 2009, its warehousing and delivery operation was transferred to DHL Supply Chain at a facility near Crick. Wolseley sold Bathstore to turnaround investor Endless LLP in May 2012 for £15 million in cash, as Wolseley concentrated on its core wholesale operations. Bathstore had more than 160 stores at the time. In June 2014, Endless sold the business in a management buyout led by chief executive Gary Favell and backed by American private finance. In 2017, Bathstore broadened its retail ambitions beyond bathrooms by opening two Haus Stores, in Farnborough and Lakeside, after acquiring former Betta Living premises. These locations were intended to extend the brand's offer into kitchens and bedrooms. The standalone business entered administration on 26 June 2019. It then had 135 stores and employed more than 500 people. In July 2019, Homebase acquired Bathstore's intellectual property and 44 of its showrooms. Homebase used the brand through concessions inside its own stores and through online trading, while gradually integrating or closing the former standalone locations. Most of the acquired standalone sites closed in 2021, and the final standalone Bathstore showroom, in Guildford, closed in March 2022. Homebase entered administration in November 2024. In April 2025, CDS Superstores, which trades as The Range, acquired the Bathstore intellectual property. Bathstore products subsequently became associated with the re-launched Homebase.co.uk and selected The Range stores. The brand therefore continued after the collapse of its original operating company, but its distribution model changed from a predominantly standalone specialist showroom chain to a brand operated within a broader multi-brand retail structure.
History
Bathstore was established in 1990 by Patrick Riley and Nico de Beer in Croydon, South London. Its original concept was to bring design-led bathroom products to a wider group of homeowners. Rather than concentrating on trade customers, the company built a consumer-oriented retail model supported by a catalogue containing products for a complete bathroom and showing retail prices. This approach gave customers a single specialist source for planning and purchasing coordinated bathroom installations. The business developed into a national showroom chain. Its range included baths, showers, toilets, taps and other bathroom equipment, while the showroom format allowed customers to view products and consider complete-room designs. Bathstore's expansion accelerated during the 2000s. Wolseley, a distributor of plumbing supplies and building materials, acquired the company in June 2003. The acquisition placed Bathstore within a larger building-products group while preserving its specialist retail identity. Bathstore expanded its consumer marketing during this period. It launched its first television advertising campaign in December 2006. In November 2007, it used CGI technology in television advertising, including animated water effects intended to make the featured bathroom products more visually dynamic. The advertisements were voiced by actor Hermione Norris. The company was shortlisted for the Retail Week Awards as Best Specialist Retailer in 2007 and 2008. A period of rapid expansion and brand development under executive chairman Nick Nearchou helped establish Bathstore as a prominent specialist bathroom chain, with more than 150 United Kingdom showrooms by the end of 2007. In 2009, Bathstore transferred its warehousing and delivery operation to DHL Supply Chain. The operation was based at DHL's facility near Crick, at the Daventry International Railfreight Terminal. The move reflected the logistical requirements of a growing showroom network and a product range involving bulky bathroom fixtures and coordinated deliveries. Wolseley sold Bathstore to turnaround specialist Endless LLP in May 2012 for £15 million in cash. Wolseley stated the disposal was consistent with its intention to concentrate on core wholesale businesses. Bathstore had more than 160 stores at the time of the sale. In June 2014, Endless sold the company through a management buyout led by chief executive Gary Favell and backed by American private finance. The transaction price was not disclosed. The subsequent ownership period included an effort to broaden the brand's home-improvement scope. In April 2017, Bathstore opened two Haus Stores, in Farnborough and Lakeside, after acquiring two former Betta Living premises. The new format extended the company's activities into kitchens and bedrooms as well as bathrooms. The standalone company entered administration on 26 June 2019. It then operated 135 United Kingdom stores and employed more than 500 people. In July 2019, Homebase acquired Bathstore's intellectual property and 44 of the original showrooms. Homebase used the Bathstore name for in-store concessions and online trading, but its strategy focused increasingly on incorporating the brand into the main Homebase store portfolio. Most of the former standalone locations closed in 2021, and the final standalone showroom in Guildford closed in March 2022. Homebase itself entered administration in November 2024. The Bathstore intellectual property was subsequently acquired by CDS Superstores in April 2025. CDS Superstores trades as The Range and continued to make Bathstore products available through the re-launched Homebase.co.uk and selected The Range stores. Bathstore's later history is therefore a transition from an independent specialist showroom operator to a retail brand distributed through larger multi-brand businesses.
- 2025
CDS Superstores acquires the intellectual property
[1]CDS Superstores acquires the Bathstore intellectual property and continues the brand through Homebase.co.uk and selected The Range stores.
- 2022
Standalone showroom network ends
[1]The final standalone Bathstore showroom closes in Guildford in March.
- 2019
Administration and Homebase acquisition
[1]Bathstore enters administration in June; Homebase acquires its intellectual property and 44 showrooms the following month.
- 2017
Haus Stores extend the category offer
[1]Bathstore opens Haus Stores in Farnborough and Lakeside, adding kitchen and bedroom products to its ambitions.
- 2014
Management buyout
[1]Endless sells Bathstore in a management buyout led by Gary Favell and backed by American private finance.
- 2012
Sale to Endless LLP
[1]Wolseley sells Bathstore to Endless LLP for £15 million in cash.
- 2009
Logistics transferred to DHL Supply Chain
[1]Bathstore moves its warehousing and delivery operation to DHL Supply Chain's facility near Crick.
- 2007
National showroom expansion and CGI advertising
[1]The company has more than 150 United Kingdom showrooms by year-end and introduces CGI-based television advertising.
- 2006
First television campaign
[1]Bathstore begins television advertising aimed at building wider consumer awareness.
- 2003
Acquisition by Wolseley
[1]Wolseley acquires Bathstore for an undisclosed sum.
Products and positioning
A consumer-focused specialist bathroom retailer offering design-led, coordinated bathroom products through showrooms and retail channels.
Bathroom fixtures
Baths
Bathstore's core range included baths as part of its complete-bathroom proposition. Baths were presented alongside other coordinated fixtures and fittings, allowing customers to plan a unified bathroom rather than purchase isolated plumbing products.
Bathroom fixtures
Showers
Showers formed one of the principal product categories in Bathstore's specialist bathroom assortment. They were sold as part of a broader room-design offer that also covered bathing equipment, sanitaryware and taps.
Sanitaryware
Toilets
Toilets and related sanitaryware were included in Bathstore's complete-bathroom catalogue and showroom proposition. The category complemented baths and showers and supported the brand's emphasis on coordinated bathroom installations for homeowners.
Bathroom fittings
Taps
Bathstore sold taps among its bathroom fittings. The products were part of the brand's effort to provide the principal fixtures required for a complete bathroom through a specialist retail channel.
Home improvement · 2017
Haus kitchen and bedroom products
In 2017, Bathstore extended beyond bathrooms through two Haus Stores in Farnborough and Lakeside. The format incorporated kitchen and bedroom products and represented an attempt to broaden the company's home-improvement offer.
Marketing campaigns
- 2007CGI water-animation television campaign
United Kingdom
Bathstore's November 2007 television advertising used CGI and water animation to add movement to presentations of its bathroom products. The advertisements were voiced by Hermione Norris.
Outcome. The campaign demonstrated a more visually elaborate approach to product advertising; no measured performance result is given.
- 2006First television advertising campaign
United Kingdom
Bathstore launched its first television advertising campaign in December 2006 to promote the specialist retailer to a mass consumer audience.
Outcome. The campaign marked a move beyond catalogue and showroom marketing; a specific commercial outcome is not stated.
Brand decisions
2025
Transfer of Bathstore intellectual property to CDS SuperstoresM&ABackground
Homebase entered administration in November 2024, creating uncertainty over the Bathstore intellectual property held within or around its retail group.
Action taken
CDS Superstores acquired the Bathstore intellectual property in April 2025.
Aftermath
Bathstore products continued to be sold through the re-launched Homebase.co.uk and selected The Range stores, both associated with CDS Superstores.
2019
Administration and asset saleOtherBackground
Bathstore operated 135 United Kingdom stores and employed more than 500 people when it entered administration.
Action taken
The company entered administration on 26 June. In July, Homebase acquired the Bathstore intellectual property and 44 showrooms.
Aftermath
The Bathstore name survived, but the standalone showroom chain was progressively integrated into Homebase's store and online operations.
2017
Expansion into kitchens and bedroomsStrategyBackground
Bathstore sought to extend its home-improvement proposition beyond its established bathroom specialty.
Action taken
The company opened two Haus Stores in Farnborough and Lakeside after acquiring former Betta Living premises.
Aftermath
The move created a broader kitchen, bedroom and bathroom retail concept, although the later standalone Bathstore operating company entered administration in 2019.
2014
Management buyoutM&ABackground
Endless had owned Bathstore since 2012 and subsequently exited the business.
Action taken
Endless sold Bathstore in a management buyout led by chief executive Gary Favell and backed by American private finance.
Aftermath
The transaction placed Bathstore under management-led ownership; the price was not disclosed.
2012
Sale to Endless LLPM&ABackground
Wolseley decided to focus on its core wholesale businesses while Bathstore operated more than 160 stores.
Action taken
Wolseley sold Bathstore to turnaround specialist Endless LLP for £15 million in cash.
Aftermath
Bathstore moved from a strategic division of a large wholesale group to ownership by a turnaround investor.
Sale consideration. £15 million cash transaction (May 2012)
2003
Join WolseleyM&ABackground
Bathstore was a growing specialist bathroom retailer operating in a sector related to Wolseley's plumbing-supply and building-materials activities.
Action taken
Wolseley acquired Bathstore for an undisclosed sum.
Aftermath
Bathstore continued to expand its specialist showroom and consumer-marketing activities under Wolseley ownership.
Recent events
- 2025
CDS Superstores acquires Bathstore intellectual property[1]
M&A
CDS Superstores acquired the Bathstore intellectual property following Homebase's administration and continued the brand through its wider retail operations.
- 2022
Final standalone Bathstore showroom closes[1]
Other
The last standalone Bathstore showroom, in Guildford, closed after Homebase had shifted the brand toward integration within its store network.
- 2019
Bathstore enters administration[1]
Bankruptcy
Bathstore entered administration after operating a United Kingdom network of 135 stores and employing more than 500 people.
- 2019
Homebase acquires Bathstore brand and selected showrooms[1]
M&A
Homebase acquired Bathstore's intellectual property and 44 showrooms for use in concessions and online retail.
- 2017
Bathstore expands into kitchens and bedrooms[1]
Other
The company opened two Haus Stores after acquiring former Betta Living premises, extending its offer beyond bathrooms.
- 2014
Bathstore sold in management buyout[1]
M&A · Leadership change
Endless sold Bathstore in a management buyout led by chief executive Gary Favell and backed by American private finance.
- 2012
Wolseley sells Bathstore to Endless[1]
M&A
Wolseley sold Bathstore to turnaround specialist Endless LLP as part of a move to focus on wholesale activities.
- 2007
Bathstore introduces CGI-based television advertising[1]
Campaign
A television campaign used computer-generated imagery and animated water effects to showcase bathroom products.
- 2006
Bathstore launches first television advertising campaign[1]
Campaign
The retailer began television advertising, expanding its consumer-facing marketing beyond its showroom and catalogue proposition.
- 2003
Wolseley acquires Bathstore[1]
M&A
Wolseley acquired the specialist bathroom retailer for an undisclosed sum.
Sources1 sources
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