Ripples

What Ripples does

Ripples is a UK luxury bathroom design company founded in 1989 by Roger and Sandra Kyme and still family-owned and family-run. Its core offering is bespoke bathroom design consultation delivered by specialist designers, paired with curated supply of premium bathroom products including tiles, brassware, sanitaryware, furniture, showers, and baths. Installation is not provided directly; customers arrange their own contractors using the design drawings and specifications Ripples produces.

The company operates an asset-light franchise model under Ripples (Holdings) Limited (Companies House registration 07787699), with 26 showrooms across England listed in cities including Bath, Bristol, London, Oxford, Norwich, Winchester, Solihull, Bournemouth, and Wokingham. Each showroom is independently operated under licence by a franchisee entity (e.g., Walkers Bespoke Interiors Ltd, R & D Garnett Limited, Signature Waves Ltd, Sunlight Developments Ltd). The GTM motion is showroom-led: customers visit for in-person design consultations, receive bespoke design proposals, and purchase products through the franchised showroom. Pricing is quote-based, with a sample project priced from £13.7k per room excluding installation, and a 50% deposit on order. Customer composition is overwhelmingly individual UK residential homeowners undertaking renovations; commercial/enterprise contracts are not part of the stated customer mix.

Revenue is generated through product sales and professional design services across the franchise network, with Ripples (Holdings) Limited capturing franchise fees and central product economics. The company markets through a content-led mix including an Advice blog, Instagram (@ripplesbathrooms), a downloadable Style Guide brochure, email newsletter, and earned press in titles such as The Telegraph, Ideal Home, and House and Garden. Geographic scope is explicitly UK-only. Headcount is 51–100, focused on central HQ, marketing, and design support, with each showroom staffed by its franchisee.

Name

Ripples

Legal name

Ripples (Holdings) Limited

Website

https://ripplesbathrooms.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Ripples is a UK-based, family-owned luxury bathroom design franchise founded in 1989, operating 26 showrooms nationwide through licensed franchisees, serving residential homeowners with bespoke bathroom design consultations and curated premium product supply.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bathroom Design Services

NAICS

Interior Design Services (54141)

SIC

Miscellaneous Furniture & Fixtures (2590)

akta.pro primary industry

Bath Fixtures & Wellness (Showers, Tubs, Steam, Saunas) Showrooms (CRAIAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Full Bathroom Remodel (Design-Build) (HSAPABAA), Luxury / Spa Bathroom Upgrades (Steam Showers, Saunas, Jetted Tubs) (HSAPABAO), Plumbing Fixtures (Faucets, Sinks & Bath Fixtures) (IMADALAA)

Keywords

• Luxury bathroom design
• Bespoke bathroom products
• Bathroom renovation services
• Bathroom showroom franchise
• Premium sanitaryware supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Bath

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Bathroom Product Sales: Ripples sells a wide range of bathroom products including tiles, taps, brassware, furniture, sanitaryware, mirrors, lighting, and accessories. Products are supplied to customers through the franchise showroom network. The company does not provide installation services directly - these are arranged separately by the customer with their chosen contractor.
2. Design Services: Specialist bathroom designers provide personalized design consultations and create bespoke bathroom designs for customers. Design services include space planning, product selection guidance, and detailed design drawings for installation purposes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ripples provides specialist luxury bathroom design consultation services and supplies a curated range of premium bathroom products (tiles, taps, brassware, furniture, sanitaryware, showers, baths, mirrors, lighting, and accessories) through a UK franchise network of 26 showrooms. Specialist designers create bespoke bathroom designs tailored to each client's lifestyle, space, and preferences, including detailed design drawings for use by the customer's chosen installer.

Product overview

Ripples is a multi-award winning luxury bathroom design company offering a comprehensive suite of services centered around bespoke bathroom design consultation and high-end bathroom products. The company operates on a franchise model with showrooms across the UK. The core offering combines personalized design services (where specialist designers create tailored bathroom solutions) with a curated product portfolio spanning tiles, brassware, bathroom furniture, sanitaryware, showers, and baths. The company was founded in 1989 and remains family-owned and family-run. Showrooms are independently operated by franchisees under license from Ripples (Holdings) Limited.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Luxury Bathroom Design Services Full-service bespoke bathroom design consultation provided by specialist designers who create personalized bathroom designs tailored to each client's lifestyle, preferences, and spatial requirements. Includes space planning, product selection guidance, and detailed design drawings prepared for use by the customer's chosen installer. Services are delivered in-showroom at one of 26 UK locations and are aimed at residential homeowners undertaking renovations or new installations.
• Ripples Product Collections Curated range of premium bathroom products supplied through Ripples showrooms, encompassing tiles, taps, brassware, bathroom furniture, sanitaryware, showers (walk-in, enclosed, shower-over-bath, mixer, thermostatic, and spa-style with rainfall heads, body jets, and steam), baths, mirrors, lighting, and accessories. Products are sourced from premium brands and supplied with delivery coordination to the customer's chosen installer.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over £85,000 raised for The Cycle charity over 10 years

Named customers13 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The CyclecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Cycle is a charity focused on Water, Women and World empowerment. Ripples has supported The Cycle for over a decade, raising over £85,000 through cycling events (London to Paris), raffles, fashion shows, and donations for every WC sold. The partnership includes support for the Happy Periods programme which educates girls and boys in menstrual health in schools and communities in India, helping keep girls in school.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• B&Q: UK's largest home improvement retailer (Kingfisher subsidiary), with hundreds of stores offering bathroom products alongside kitchens, DIY, and décor. Competes with Ripples for bathroom renovation spend but at the mass-market end and without a dedicated bathroom design service.
• Homebase: UK home and garden retailer with national store estate selling bathroom products alongside kitchens, decorating, and garden categories. Overlaps with Ripples only in bathroom fixtures and accessories, at the mass-market level.

Direct peers

• C.P. Hart & Sons: UK's longest-established luxury bathroom showroom retailer, founded 1937. Offers nearly identical proposition to Ripples: in-store specialist designers, premium product curation, and bespoke bathroom design service for residential customers across multiple London and regional showrooms.
• Bathrooms.com: UK online-first bathroom retailer selling tiles, sanitaryware, furniture, and showers. Direct competitor in the UK residential bathroom market, though without Ripples' design-consultation and showroom-led service layer.
• Soak.com: UK bathroom retailer specializing in baths, showers, and bathroom suites, now part of the Victorian Plumbing group. Direct competitor in the UK bathroom retail market with a primarily online channel.
• Victorian Plumbing: AIM-listed UK bathroom retailer offering an extensive range of bathroom products primarily through its e-commerce platform. Competes with Ripples for the same UK homeowner customer but via a digital-only, lower-cost model rather than design-led showrooms.
• Easy Bathrooms: UK bathroom retailer with a growing showroom network and online store competing in the mid-market to premium bathroom segment. Targets the same residential renovation customer as Ripples, with a heavier weight on product selection and price competition.
• Victoria Plum: UK bathroom retailer, now part of the Victorian Plumbing group, focused on mid-market bathroom products sold online. Competes with Ripples for UK homeowners on selection and price rather than design service.

Others

• Mandarin Stone: UK premium natural stone and tile retailer with multiple showrooms. Competes with Ripples for premium tile spend in the bathroom renovation journey, but is a single-category specialist rather than a full bathroom design retailer.
• Tile Giant: UK specialist tile retailer with a national showroom network focused on wall and floor tiles. Adjacent competitor to Ripples in the tile category specifically, but does not offer full bathroom design or sanitaryware/brassware supply.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/ripplesbathrooms
• Facebookfacebook.com/RipplesBathroom
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ripplesbathrooms

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ripples