Easy Bathrooms, national bathroom and tile supplier, has made a £142,000 investment in its distribution network in a commitment to improve trade service.

As part of this, Kate Hudson joins the firm as distribution and transport manager in a newly-created role, which will see her running the retailer’s 110,000 sq ft depot. She will also coordinate deliveries to trade customers throughout the UK.

Previously holding the roles of transport manager at Kloeckner Metals UK and transport and logistics manager at Angel Springs, she brings 20 years of experience to the firm.

Kate’s appointment coincides with the recruitment of Lydia Luxford, who has joined the customer service team at Birstall. An experienced plumber, Lydia is on hand to provide technical knowledge and support via the firm’s sales and support line.

Alongside the expansion of the team, Easy Bathrooms has also invested heavily in six new delivery vans – creating a fleet of 11 vehicles. Once in operation, a number of driver roles will also be created at the head office.

Commenting on the appointments and the purchase of the new vans, Easy Bathrooms’ Neil Bell said: “We’re going through a period of sustained growth – we’ve opened 10 showrooms in the past 12 months, for example – but it’s important that we uphold, and even improve, our customer service levels as we go.

“We’ve recognised that, within the bathroom industry, it is the delivery aspect which often receives the most complaints. The majority of our competitors use external couriers, but we want to keep our delivery service in-house, so that we have total control over it. If there's been a mistake with an order, for example, we know that we need to ship replacement products out quickly to avoid delays in bathrooms being fitted – which is especially important to traders who rely on it for their income. It therefore gives us the flexibility to send a replacement out the same day.”

Easy Bathrooms recently secured £2million of funding from ThinCats, which will allow the firm to expand further, with an additional six stores planned throughout the south of the UK over the next six months.

Currently employing 145 staff, this will create an additional 30 jobs, both in the showrooms and at the Yorkshire head-office.

www.easybathrooms.com