An established high-end bathroom specialist in Harrogate has been acquired by another heritage brand, in a move that will save jobs and preserve the 15-year old legacy of the company.
More Bathrooms – part of the fifty- two year old Passmore Group – has acquired Charms Bathrooms, based on Beech Avenue.
With the existing owners approaching retirement, this could have marked the end of an era for family-run Charms. But the deal with fellow family-owned Passmore Group means that the story can continue for customers in the town.
Charms’ history in fact began in the late 1800s, when George Martin established a well-known plumbers merchant serving customers in Harrogate, York and Leeds. The business was passed down to George’s son John and in the 1960’s, a small plumbing business founded by Brian Passmore was among the customer base.
Like Brian, John handed the business down to the next generation once more and, fifteen years ago, Charms’ focus on bathroom retail was borne. Whilst Charms and Passmore’s More Bathrooms brands were, in effect, competing with one another, the owners continued to recognise the cultural similarities between the two, which kick-started merger talks in recent months.
Commenting on the deal, Tony Passmore, Passmore’s current managing director and son of founder Brian, said:
Charms is similarly a family-run brand synonymous with trust, quality and integrity, so the fit into our stable of companies was perfect. We look forward to bringing 50 years of installation expertise to the table – especially for some of Charms’ clientele who may have previously used the company for ‘supply only’ bathroom purchases.
Tony added:
We have grown to become the leading bathroom designer and installer in Leeds and the surrounding area, so the acquisition of this well-known and respected Harrogate business is a logical step in our ongoing expansion.
It signifies our desire to provide a fantastic bathroom experience to as many Yorkshire customers as possible. We can’t wait to see what the next few years bring.
Passmore has grown to become a £6m turnover organisation with plans to grow to £10m in the next 3-5 years. This will create 20 jobs for local fitters, installers and surveying staff in the process.
Passmore is a 50-strong company that services customers within a 60 mile radius of their Wortley, Leeds headquarters. The Group is made up of three core brands – More Bathrooms, More Ability (bathing solutions for people with disabilities) and More Build (turnkey home improvements).
