New head office, multiple franchises, numerous jobs and award win among successes for PlumbProud.
A new head office in the centre of Northampton is the latest milestone for a family-run plumbing company enjoying success despite the coronavirus pandemic.
PlumbProud is moving from Moulton Park to the former Bathstore premises in St James having expanded to become a national firm over the past year.
The bathrooms, boilers and heating systems installers have started seven new franchises in four months as well as creating numerous jobs and winning an award.
Director Sam Hardiker said: “It’s exciting – it’s been a busy year for us but a rewarding one.”
At the start of the pandemic, Sam said PlumbProud had to decide whether to put its ambitious expansion plans on hold or not, with lots of uncertainty to factor in.
But they went ahead and opened franchises in areas where its competitors had retracted from to offer a reliable service at a local level while benefiting from others having to adapt to working from home.
The director thinks their ability to provide a quicker service than bigger firms and the public’s willingness to support smaller companies during the pandemic resulted in their success.
“I think there’s a good spirit in the community to support local businesses which we’ve certainly felt the effect of, which is good,” he said.
“People are starting to see the benefits of going local as a result so we do believe this is one of the main reasons for our growth over the last 12 months since the pandemic hit.”
So far, five new franchises have opened in towns across the country, including Burton-on-Trent and Ipswich, with two more set to launch soon.
Having franchises with locally-based workers means they can respond much quicker to emergencies than national firms, which has helped PlumbProud’s growth.
The new business means new jobs, with more than 20 created in Northampton alone, which is the most rewarding thing for Sam.
For example two former salesmen have retrained as boiler surveyors after hundreds of unsuccessful applications as well as a new accounts manager has joined the team.
As the cherry on top, PlumbProud was named plumbing and heating installers of the year at the Central England Prestige Awards and has been shortlisted as one of the top three plumbers in Northampton.
“As a business, we’re delighted that during a tough time for everybody when a lot of people are out of work and struggling to find an opportunity that we have been able to create numerous opportunities and bring new members of the team onboard that would otherwise have lost their job.”
“That has been the most rewarding part of this is how pleased we are as a business to create new opportunities.”
