London-based bathroom supplier, VR-Bathrooms, has purchased new premises to facilitate its continued expansion with the support of a seven-figure commercial mortgage from HSBC UK.
Founded in 2008, VR-Bathrooms had previously rented a small site in Feltham but now has moved into a warehouse unit four-times the size in Bracknell, occupying 13,000 sqft. The new site will not only allow the company to hold additional stock on site but will also support the organisation’s future growth strategy.
Rav Reehal, Managing Director at VR-Bathrooms, said: “It was really hard to find a unit that gave us the size requirements we needed whilst staying within a relatively local radius to our previous offices so that we could take our existing staff with us. The staff are excited with this new phase of growth for the business during uncertain times. The additional space will enable us to bring in greater volumes of current and new product lines and help us concentrate on growing the business and increasing our current market share.”
VR Bathrooms has seen shopping habits change over the last 12 months, with a dramatic rise in online orders over the course of the pandemic recorded and expects this to remain constant in the future.
Rav Reehal added: “The commercial mortgage has helped me secure the future of the business, as well as allowing me to achieve my own personal objective of why I started the business in the first place. HSBC UK has supported the development of our current business model and helped us quickly react to the increased demand we have seen over the past year. We now have a great facility in place and online retail will remain a key part of our business model moving forwards.”
Raj Yadav, HSBC UK Senior Commercial Manager for South West London Business Banking, commented: “Whilst the retail sector has faced a challenging period, it’s great to see that the team at VR-Bathrooms have adapted to the changing landscape and pivoted their approach to ensure customers – both trade and members of the public – have been able to continue to secure products and services throughout the lockdown periods. The new site will support their future growth strategy and we look forward to continuing to work with them to help realise these ambitions.”