So after we published our recent article about Helen Skelton becoming Victoria Plums new Brand ambassador we got sent quite a few messages and one was pretty common.
Is Victoria Plum the same as Victorian Plumbing?
The short answer is they are two very different businesses, trading independently but there is a fascinating history between the two companies so read on to discover the history and differences.
Where are they located:
Victoria Plum is a Docnaster based bathroom reseller. Originally from Hull, opened its Distribution Centre right here in the heart of Doncaster back in 2015. During the covid pandemic the business flipped to fully remote working, keeping just its Distribution center as its HQ.
Victorian Plumbing is a company based out of Skelmersdale, a town not too far from Liverpool. So both businesses are northern bathroom businesses.
Who started first:
Victoria Plum started out as Victoria Plumb back in 2000 as a pure online only bathroom retailer selling a wide range of bathroom products.
Victorian Plumbing on the other hand started online around 2001 online, but the business started much earlier around 1991 but the initial business was more focused on Victorian radiators, heating and bathroom repair. Even initially when they went online they talked more about restoration rather than a bathroom shop.
Court documents from the time show that Victoria Plum was far more successful in the first 15 years. Source
The Court Case:
So I have been working in digital marketing since 2009 and the biggest court case we had know about was M&S going to court over bidding on a competitor brand name. While that set a precedent back in 2011 and then the final ruling in 2013 the court case between Victoria Plum and Victorian Plumbing was a lot more complicated due to them both having very similar names.
While Victoria Plum won the court case it still didn’t help the fact with confusion. From all accounts the court case went on for quite some years and took a serious amount of legal effort due to it being a first in the UK with two companies having very similar names. I can’t think of any other company having such confusing names.
Business Owners
Victoria Plum is owned by Endless, a Leeds based poverty equity company. The company was originally founded by Jason Walker, before being sold to TPG before being snapped up by Endless.
Victorian Plumbing on the other hand is listed on the London Stock Exchange’s AIM index. When it launched it was the AIM largest ever IPO. Mark Radcliffe has a great story, he is one of the first few people to make a million pound business on Ebay – realising the potential of the platform before switching his attention to Victorian Plumbing whereby he has turned the business into a huge success.
Is Victoria Plum the same as Victorian Plumbing?
To answer the original question we got asked – they are two separate businesses selling very similar products.
A final question which comes up.
Is Victoria Plum the same as Victoria Plumbing?
There is no company called Victoria Plumbing, it’s just people mistyping either Victoria Plum or Victorian Plumbing into Google.
Which company should I shop at?
Both companies are safe to shop with, they are huge recognisable brands here in the UK. As Victoria Plum is a Doncaster based business we would recommend them as we like to support local businesses. That said, we know people who have shopped with Victorian Plumbing and had no issues.
Based in Armthorpe, George Viola is the Senior Editor at City of Doncaster News. Previously he has worked for The Huffington Post.
