The Bathroom People
See how it works
From day one to store ownership
Potential owner-operators using our pathway programme step into a brand-new showroom and are provided with proper training and support while they learn to run their own business.
A successful partner will have the opportunity to run a brand-new showroom using The Bathroom People brand, systems and supplier relationships. We provide hands-on training and guidance, not just a manual and good luck. You will learn how to make retail sales as well as how to design and facilitate bathroom renovation projects.
You start on a set monthly income during the pilot period where you learn to operate the store. Store profits and royalties begin from month four. At month twelve, partners decide whether to buy into the franchise, with the full $210,000 investment due at that point. Here’s how it fits together.
The journey at a glance
Pilot | Months 1–3
You draw a set $3,000 a month while you build the store up. There is no royalty, no store overheads and no Taurus (our custom-built business management system) subscription.
Ramp | Months 4–12
The store is handed over to you and is expected to stand on its own. Its revenue covers its overheads and operating costs, and any profit remaining belongs to the partner. A 7% royalty on store revenue is payable to The Bathroom People for ongoing support and systems. There is no Taurus subscription or group marketing fund contribution until you convert.
Decision | Month 12
You choose: buy into the franchise, or step away. The full $210,000 is payable at this point if you proceed.
Around months 9–10 we’ll sit down with you to review your trading numbers and how buying in would look, so nothing at month 12 is a surprise.
What you get
- Full-time training, together. Training runs for about four weeks from day one, built into the pilot period, with much of it done in the store. You complete a comprehensive training programme: product, systems, selling and the business side of running a store. Regular check-ins continue once you’re trading, to help you make the most of your opportunities.
- A showroom that’s ready. Fitted-out, trading-ready stores in Grey Lynn and Silverdale, with Whangārei to follow.
- The brand, systems and suppliers. You operate under our name, with our supplier relationships and our business management platform.
- Marketing support. We support you with your local marketing while you get established, but once up and running, each store is responsible for the cost of its own local marketing initiatives. Once you convert to a full franchise, a separate marketing contribution is paid into a pooled fund for brand-level and group marketing, with transparent reporting.
What to expect, honestly
The $3,000 monthly draw is not a wage, and it isn’t a living wage. You’ll need to cover your personal living costs alongside it during the pilot.
You’ll work as an independent operator, invoicing us monthly and looking after your own tax, GST and ACC. From month four your income is the store’s profit, so it moves with how the store trades. That is the upside, and it is also the risk.
Month 12: your call
If you step away: nothing you’ve drawn is clawed back. The pilot is the cost of finding out, for both of us. Customer data and leads generated in the store remain ours, and your agreement will include a restraint of trade to protect that goodwill.
If you stay: buying into the full franchise requires the full $210,000 to be paid at month 12.
By month 12 you’ll be running a trading business with nine months of real financials, which puts you in a stronger position to fund the $210,000 through a standard business loan. Financing by us is not a right and would only be considered case by case.
Who it suits
- Retail, trade or small-business experience
- Customer-focused, self-driven and comfortable with variable income
- Able to fund your own living costs alongside the draw
- Right to work in New Zealand, with no ties to competing bathroomware retailers
How to apply
- Application form covering your background and why this appeals
- Interview with us, followed by reference and credit checks
- A day in a showroom, to see the work first-hand and for us to see you in it
- Final panel decision
Before you commit to anything, you’ll receive the full disclosure documents and agreement. We encourage you to take independent legal and financial advice on them.
This document is a summary for general information only. It is not an offer or a legal agreement, and the terms of any arrangement are set out in the formal agreement and disclosure documents. Figures are subject to those documents.