PJH's Brett Jenkinson on how true collaboration leads to commercial success

In distribution, success is not only about stockholding or logistics, but the strength of collaboration – PJH retail channel director Brett Jenkinson reveals how the best partnerships enable all involved to thrive in a very competitive market

Many companies speak of collaboration, but do many actually achieve it for commercial advantage? For distributors in the KBB sector, the word is often used loosely, covering everything from joint promotions to sharing delivery routes, but is it often backed up by the kind of strategy that makes collaboration a genuine driver of growth?

PJH has taken a different tack. Rather than treating collaboration as a buzzword, it has embedded it at the heart of its long-term strategy, working together with manufacturers, retailers and installers to expand choice, improve service and strengthen resilience across the sector.

Why collaboration matters now
The KBB industry is evolving quickly. Consumer expectations are higher, product lifecycles are shorter, and sustainability is becoming a must-have rather than a nice-to-have. At the same time, retailers face squeezed margins and growing competition from both online players and non-traditional channels. In this environment, distributors can’t rely on plentiful stockholding alone to add value. Strategic collaboration, whether through shared logistics or complementary product ranges or brands, is what enables them to differentiate. Executed well, it can deliver faster lead times, more reliable service, and above all, a wider and better-curated product choice for retailers to present to their customers.

Recently, PJH has struck partnerships with the likes of VitrA, Fibo and Abode Focus 60 Bathrooms. These collaborations weren’t about simply adding SKUs; they were about broadening the offer across price points and styles, giving retailers a more flexible toolkit to meet diverse customer needs. They are also products that add value, complementing our own bathroom collections, to increase appeal.

Equally important has been the way PJH’s own-brand ranges – Bathrooms to Love and Bathrooms2GO – have been shaped by retailer and customer feedback. That multi-way dialogue has fed into design updates and practical refinements, ensuring the products are not only on-trend but easy to fit and commercially viable.

But this collaboration extends beyond just product. On the service side, the opening of our flagship Wolverhampton Distribution Centre showed what collaboration looks like in terms of infrastructure and logistics. Our growing list of partners have helped us establish one of the largest complementary ranges of bathrooms, appliances, sinks and taps, and available via next-day delivery to 93% of UK postcodes, via our own fleet, which is on a scale that few competitors can match.

Genuine collaboration broadens customer choice. By partnering across the market, distributors can build a portfolio that stretches from entry-level essentials through to premium, design-led solutions. Recent brand alliances with new product categories, such as Fibo Wall Panels, are complementary ranges to our existing products, giving retailers the flexibility to meet a wide variety of budgets and tastes as well as offering a more complete bathroom solution. Our aim is to partner with more complementary product manufacturers in the future, as we look to demonstrate how collaboration strengthens service and value. Shared investment in logistics and digital platforms reduces friction, improves reliability, and ensures retailers can offer the kind of convenience that today’s consumers increasingly expect. This fulfils our goal to always be our customers’ 'First Choice'. Perhaps most importantly, collaboration also helps reduce risk. By pooling insight, sharing forecasts and working more openly across the chain, distributors and manufacturers alike can anticipate demand more accurately, avoid overstock or supply gaps, and ultimately safeguard their reputation with customers.

Of course, achieving this level of collaboration requires effort. Partners must be chosen that share the same goals and the willingness to work closely together to achieve success throughout the entire chain. However, the commercial and operational rewards of efficiency, resilience, and customer loyalty far outweigh the challenges.

Looking forward
As competition increases and consumer expectations demand ever better levels of service and support, distributors who can align with partners around shared solutions will be better placed to thrive.