Falkirk firm in plumb position as £10,000 funding brings new showroom to town

Heating, Plumbing and Parts (HPP), which also has branches in Loanhead, Rosyth and Macmerry, began trading in 2018 and is now one the country’s largest suppliers of plumbing, heating and bathroom products.

HPP founders, commercial director Craig Campbell and operations director Alan McConville, accumulated a wealth of knowledge in the industry through their work for

large manufacturing merchants in senior roles for over three decades.

They identified a gap in the market to strengthen the relationship between merchant suppliers and the everyday tradesman, who they believed to be neglected in the industry.

On a mission to drive change in the sector, Craig and Alan needed guidance to help turn their business plan into a reality and approached Business Gateway for support.

Craig said: “After working in the heating and plumbing industry for several years, I’d acquired an abundance of industry knowledge. However, starting your own

business in the sector can be daunting and knowing where to start can be the hardest part. Our journey would have been much harder and longer without Business

Gateway’s ongoing support.”

Through Business Gateway, HPP were able to develop a user-friendly website, which now includes an online brochure, and provides direct access to the brand’s social channels.

Motivated by the ongoing demand from their customers to have a showroom that could display the bathroom products on sale, Alan and Craig worked with Business Gateway to secure a 2023 Falkirk Council Resilience grant fund award for expansion.

This £10,000 grant allowed HPP to build a new showroom at its Falkirk branch in Castle Road, Bankside Industrial Estate.

As the business is now on the way to enjoy a turnovber of £7 million this year, Alan and Craig have also been able to expand their staff and now have a team of 28 colleagues who have over 300 years of experience and product knowledge between them.

Andrea Bradley-Priest, Business Gateway adviser, said: “We have been able to support HPP with a range of Business Gateway’s services. It has been fantastic to

watch the business expand and develop in the way that both Alan and Craig wished for in their five-year plan."