The plumbing and heating business, which deals exclusively online, says an increase in customer demand for new boilers, radiators, and kitchen and bathroom makeovers means it is on track to record sales of £16million by the end of June 2012.
That's an increase of more than 30% since its last financial year, which came in at £11.8m. The company, which employs 14 people from its base in Bromborough, Wirral, is also reporting a huge surge in modern additions to homes, such as under-floor heating and wet rooms.

PlumbNation's managing director Royden Evans told DIY Week: "I think the upturn in sales is due to our increased visibility online. Last year we had 1.2million visitors to our website, this year the figure is at 1.5million and going up.

"We've increased traffic flow to our page by upping advertising and pay for click, as well as increasing our paid and unpaid PR output in consumer and lifestyle magazines. We do benefit from being online-only, but it doesn't mean we avoid all the overheads - last year we spent £40-50,000 on Google advertising alone.

"Of course it's also about the increase in our product range. We started out in 2007 selling boilers and cylinders, and we've grown from that to bathrooms and kitchens - we're developing our range every day and there's much more to come."

As well as an increase in sales, the PlumbNation website has seen a huge surge in traffic from mobile and tablet devices. Mr Evans said plans are already underway to take advantage of this new development.

"We're putting the finishing touches to a new mobile-friendly site which will go live in the next few weeks and are looking to increase visibility on social networks. Our website is about to undergo a massive re-vamp, which will make it much more accessible to visitors."

Changes to the website will include buying wizards and guides to help steer customers through the different options available for products. There will also be a feature where users can design their own wet room using their current bathroom dimensions and the buying wizard will automatically update the sales basket with everything needed for the job.

In light of reports from other retailers suggesting a drop-off in demand for big-ticket items, such as bathroom and kitchen ranges, we asked Mr Evans why PlumbNation appears to be an exception.

"I think it is down to the nature of the products we sell. Some of the outlets you might go to to buy installations can be intimidating - I think some customers greatly prefer the comfort of buying and comparing prices instantly in their own homes.

"It is easier for smaller businesses such as PlumbNation to adapt to the times and set up online and multi-channel retailing. I've worked for larger companies in the past and it always seems to take them forever to make a decision so in a way I think they do miss the boat sometimes."

Mr Evans added that following a recent three-year-plan meeting, PlumbNation predict sales growth of around £9million by 2015.