In its tenth year in business, bathroom fittings brand Bridgepoint ltd has been busy taking over B&M, one of Malta’s original bathroom suppliers, This take-over has kept Director Lara Lewis, and General Manager Esprit Borg Barthet on their toes over the past six months; and the hard work is starting to pay off as this Malta mainstay is set for a return to its glory days in 2025.
Ask anyone of the older generation in Malta about where to buy bathroom fittings or furnish entire bathrooms, and the answer is clear: B&M in Birkirkara. Founded in the 1960s, this family business was Malta’s original bathroom supplier, occupying a prominent 5-storey spot on Birkirkara Bypass. Fast forward 50 years, though, and the industry changed with competitors coming in and taking some of B&M’s market share.
As the owners’ business interests were changing, they started speaking to the Bridgepoint team. “From the first meeting we had, there was a sense of excitement,” says Lara. “Here we had two family businesses that recognised each other’s strengths and one that instantly saw the potential benefits of acquiring this reputable company.”
Bridgepoint had become established as a supplier of quality faucets, mixer taps and other bathroom fittings. “Our customers know that we offer quality products with great stock availability in Malta and excellent aftersales service right here,” explains Esprit who has been with the company for over a decade. “We also ensure that our entire range has a similar price point. That means clients get lots of choices without being disappointed when they look at prices.”
Still, Bridgepoint had reached a stage where the team behind the brand was looking for another opportunity. Lara says: “We’d launched a showroom to complement the manufacturing side, but we knew we couldn’t just bring any other brand into the shop. So, when the B&M team approached us, it turned out to be the right opportunity at the right time. Here was a business with a great reputation that would complement our existing brand.”
A few months later, contracts had been signed, and the real work started. Lara and Esprit started splitting their time between Bridgepoint and B&M. One of the first challenges was convincing the existing B&M team that the changes would bring the store back to its former glory.
“Many of the employees had been with B&M for 18-20 years,” Esprit says. “They were used to a specific way of working. We needed to make our case and convince them of our plans.”
“From the beginning, everyone loved our enthusiasm and energy for the brand,” Lara adds. “Still, we were outsiders coming in and needed to demonstrate that the changes we planned were in the best interest of the team.”
Lara and Esprit did a lot of listening and gave B&M employees a chance to shape their own future with the company. “We encouraged the team to be really open and tell us what they liked about their roles and what didn’t work. Some people changed roles while others redefined their jobs.” As the company’s transformation progressed, the original B&M team got excited with some admitting that the brand deserved a new lease of life.
Over the past six months, Lara and Esprit have been working on repositioning the B&M brand. The store will stock medium- and high-end range brands of bathroom furniture and supplies. The team is especially proud to be the only supplier of quality Italian tiles from Imola Ceramica.
“We took our designers to the factory in Italy to increase their level of engagement with one of our key suppliers but also to show the team that we’re serious about bringing our vision into reality,” Lara says. Imola Ceramica not only has a rich history as one of Italy’s oldest factories for tiles, marbles and more, but the company’s methods and technology are also ahead of the competition.
Esprit adds: “We want the team to be confident in the things they’re selling to customers, and that means stocking things we really like.” He has a very simple rule when it comes to selecting stock for B&M: “If I wouldn’t have it in my own home, I can’t sell it to anyone else.”
Lara and Esprit both emphasise that the customer is the most important part of the business. “Successful retail is all about creating a memorable experience,” Esprit says. “One of the biggest changes we want to make is the speed at which clients receive their quotation. We want you to spend 90 per cent of your time in the showroom selecting things you love and just a few minutes at a desk finalising a quotation.”
Future quotations will also feature product images rather than confusing product codes. “Even if a bit of time passes between the quote and the purchase, images will help clients remember,” Lara says.
As part of creating an unforgettable experience, the B&M showroom is getting a facelift, too, allowing customers to get an even better feel for their future bathroom.
With all eyes on B&M, it would be easy to neglect Bridgepoint. “We’re lucky to have a very organised team in place with strong processes for sales, deliveries and order handling,” says Lara.
Esprit adds that the Bridgepoint team is highly engaged and considers the company to offer a career rather than just a job. “A few weeks ago, we also restructured our key people’s tasks and workload to allow them to work simultaneously on both businesses. We have one purchasing system and one accounting system, to give just two examples.”
With the all-new B&M ready to tackle its first full year of operations, one of the first changes clients will see is the company’s new website. “We’ll not only show images of our stock, but we’ll also have prices,” Esprit says. “Looking online has become a critical step before clients visit a showroom, and we’ll be one of the first in the market to have prices of everything readily displayed.”
With a solid reputation built over several decades in business and a new team pushing the business forward, the future is looking bright for B&M.
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