Plumbworld


Plumbworld is a specialist bathroom retailer based in the market town of Evesham in the United Kingdom. The company was founded by the current CEO James Hickman in 1999 and operates exclusively online. It was owned by the Grafton Group between 2006 and 2019, now back under the control of the original founder after a management buyout.

History

Plumbworld was founded in 1999 by James and Anita Hickman. The company grew into a multi-million pound business within a matter of years. In 2006, James Hickman sold the company to the UK and Irish based company Grafton Group.
In 2008, Plumbworld entered the power tools market for the first time with a new e-commerce website trading by the name of Toolbox.co.uk.
2010 announced the launch of further e-commerce website this time specialising in barbecues and wood burning stoves.
In 2012 and because of ventures into various sectors in the home and garden markets, Plumbworld rebranded to Online Home Retail but continued to trade as normal.
2014 saw Plumbworld venture into the world of television for the first time with the 'We Love to Say No' advert developed by The Market Creative. The project encompassed a 30-second TV advert as well as a direct marketing campaign to help with the re-branding and new website for the company.

Current

In January 2019 a team led by the founder of the business James Hickman bought back the company from Grafton Group plc, a listed builders merchant.

Awards

The company has been recognised nationwide and has claimed various awards over the years including the prestigious 'Top Ten Website' by Hitwise.

Charitable Activities

The business has been involved in numerous charitable activities since being founded in 1999 and continues to raise money on a daily basis. Over the years Plumbworld have been involved in raising money for Sport Relief, Evesham's historic Regal Cinema relaunch, and various nationwide community projects. Plumbworld joined forces with The Heart of England Forest Project in order to plant more than one million trees. The ongoing partnership saw 9.11 hectares being used to plant nearly 10,000 trees and the same again the following year. The company have always taken responsibilities to the environment seriously and continues to support this important project.