Husband and wife team Dan and Jenna Doherty have opened the first Ripples showroom in the North of England. Standard bearer for the business above the Midlands, Ripples Southport is already nominated for an award.

The business is run by husband and wife Dan and Jenna Doherty

Having worked from the age of 16 at home improvement retailer Rapid Hardware in Liverpool, owned by his family, Dan Doherty chose to go it alone when the business closed.

He turned to bathroom retail franchise Ripples and has opened its first showroom in the North of England in Southport.

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“We were really excited to be the first [Ripples in the North of England]. There are customers coming to us that follow Ripples on social media but have never been in one of its showrooms.

“So, we’re doing our bit to build the brand up here.”

Choosing a franchise

Dan explains why he chose the route of a franchise, citing its ability to provide premium suppliers and valuable business support.

The showroom is the first for the Ripples brand in the North of England and has already been shortlisted for a new bathroom retailer award.

He comments on his difficulty of sourcing premium brand suppliers for a new bathroom retail business: “It was pretty tough because the ones that I wanted to work with already had a local account, so they couldn’t supply me or they wanted a couple of years’ trading results.

“Ripples said we can give you all the suppliers that you want, you can have your area and we can get all those accounts open for you.

“We’ll support you and get you up-and-running. And here we are, in our showroom with all the suppliers we wanted.”

As a husband and wife team, Dan also welcomed the business support from the franchise group, helping with bank and accounts, as he adds: “When you’re going full steam ahead, trying set up a showroom and accounts, it’s quite daunting. So, it’s nice to have that handholding going forward.”

And what has his biggest learning point during this time? “I would say how flexible you can be and how you can adapt”, Dan replies.

“Sometimes you think you’re only good at a certain thing – whether that’s sales, accounting or merchandising displays.

“We have jumped into every role and have done it well. It makes you find out a lot about yourself.”

Although less than a year old, the business has already proved to be a success, as it has already been nominated for a new bathroom retailer award.

“We’re really pleased with that. We’ve only been open since July, so that was a nice boost for us”, exclaims Dan.

Securing location

Ripples Southport boasts 18 displays in a 1,400sqft retail space and offers a choice of styles and colours to suit a variety of tastes and budgets.

Boasting 18 displays in a 1,400sqft retail space, the showroom provides a choice of styles and colours to suit a variety of tastes and budgets

Located on a busy junction, it was being stuck in a car at the traffic lights which proved to be serendipitous in finding the location for his business.

“We were driving past one day and got stuck at the traffic lights and I noticed a ‘to let’ sign on the showroom. I said to my wife ‘That’s where we’re going. We’re having it’.

“So I phoned up, while we were waiting in the traffic queue, and arranged a meeting with the landlord the next day.”

He continues: “We moved quite quickly. We started the ball rolling in February and we got the key in March/April and then we started the full rip out.” The company opened its doors in July.

Ripples Southport is surrounded by bathroom showrooms, but Dan welcomes the competition, as he explains: “We’re not trying to take their business. We do believe we offer a different product and a different service, so we can co-exist.

“Some of them have been around 30 or 40 years, so for us to come along and say we’re going to take all that business would be wrong. We will get our fair share.

“The market was missing a Ripples, the products that we offer and the way that we offer them, and customers are liking what they see.”

Business booming

But is the consumer interest converting into business?  Dan comments: “We set ourselves targets for the first six months – July to Christmas – and we got there.

The pink Dansani display with Ca Pietra Woodland tiles is one of the hero displays in the showroom space

“We’re not putting any unnecessary pressure on ourselves. We know what we need to do every month and we’re doing it.”

Dan exclaims “Footfall has been great. The customers are positive. They are open to spend money on their homes and put good products in there.”

And he highlights this move to quality sees orders “higher than what I was used to in the past.”

He continues: “Our average order value is between £6,000-£7,000 ex VAT, ex fitting. But we are seeing orders over the £10,000 mark as well.”

Building reputation

Focusing on the refurbishment market, Dan believes the market will be driven by people unable or unwilling to move investing in their home, adding: “I don’t believe the market is as bad our there as what the press are saying.”

In fact, speaking to Kitchens & Bathrooms News in January, Dan adds: “We’re booked into April and that’s with three teams of installers.”

However, he is conscious slow and steady wins the race, as he explains the first 12 months will concentrate on establishing the business and creating a trusted reputation in the locality.

“We’re not going to shoot for the stars, we’re going to be realistic and sensible and do a good job for the customers, that’s it.”

Read more about the Ripples bathroom retail franchise, which has recently celebrated 35 years of trading, as MD Paul Crown divulges the secrets of its success, plans for growth and evolution.