PLUMB CENTRE

brand refresh & National Rollout

White Mercedes-Benz van parked outside a building with signs for a bathroom showroom and plumb center, with a yellow barrier and recycling bins nearby.
Three men wearing yellow safety vests working at checkout counter inside a retail store, smiling and talking.
A woman with long brown hair, wearing a black shirt and a yellow reflective vest, is smiling and looking to her left behind the counter in a store. Shelves with products are visible in the background.

Plumb Centre is a UK trade network serving plumbers, heating engineers and installers across 450 counters. The Alternative led a full rebrand and national rollout: a trade-first identity, a modular creative system built for the realities of branch retail, and a governance model enabling consistent implementation across hundreds of locations.

  • The problem was both creative and operational.
    The client needed:

    • A confident identity that would work for trade audiences (plumbers & heating engineers)

    • Design that functioned in small formats (wallet leaflets, shelf-talkers) and busy shopfloor environments

    • A rollout approach implementable reliably across 450 individual locations with varying resources and footprints

    • Proof and momentum: the identity’s first public moment needed to land (trade show reveal + conference)

  • We organised the project into five integrated phases:

    1. Trade Insight Rapid field research and branch interviews identified trade buyers’ real priorities: the right approach, quick access to technical information, trusted low-effort experience. These insights determined the identity, micro-copy, and POS layouts.

    2. Prototype & Pilot Early wallet leaflet and POS prototypes were piloted in a small group of branches. On-the-ground feedback (copy compression, CTA prominence, staff handover prompts) was iterated into final templates.

    3. Modular Identity System We created a compact lock-up, high-contrast palette and strict typographic rules so the brand reads clearly in busy environments and on small collateral. The system included iconography and grid rules for scalability.

    4. Roll-Out Governance A phased regional deployment (pilot → regional → national), supplier governance, print specifications and a branch execution playbook were developed for consistent implementation with minimal disruption.

    5. Stakeholder & Event Integration Staff-facing guides and event materials ensured the brand worked in branch and at trade events. The identity’s first public moment was staged at the national installer trade show and then at Plumb Centre’s 2025 “Turn the Tap On” conference—an important credibility moment.

    • Brand identity system: Primary & secondary marks, palette, typography, icons

    • Brand toolkit: Guidelines and templated masters for print and digital

    • Core assets: Shelf-talkers, posters, branch POS modules

    • Local ad templates: Print and digital masters for local printing and DOOH

    • Digital assets: Social carousel creative and trade-event visuals

    • Staff-facing materials: Quick guides and scripts for consistent brand representation

    • Trade-first identity: Works in small formats and on busy shopfloors (the right approach over decoration)

    • Scalable rollout model: Consistent implementation across hundreds of counters without creating barriers

    • Branch-centred toolkit: Staff equipped to represent the brand in person and at trade events

    Why it matters: This project proves that national rollouts don’t require sacrificing brand integrity or local relevance. Insight + prototyping + governance = scale that works.

A collection of branding and marketing materials for a plumbing company, featuring various digital templates, infographics, and logos in blue and white.
Screenshot of an Instagram profile of Plumb Centre with promotional graphics about earning cash back and trading accounts, featuring images of nuts and coins on a blue background.
Exterior of a modern building with a large blue welcome sign for a trade show and conference, displaying glass windows, a brick facade, and some plants.
A blue A-frame sidewalk sign with white text that reads, 'Come to Stand 5G34 Grab a Drink & Win Big with the Fast Fix Challenge,' against a clear blue sky.
Close-up of a blue sign with white and teal text advertising a trauma & burn center.
Indoor convention center entrance with blue banners displaying 'Welcome to the trade show & conference' and directory screens, wooden accents, patterned flooring, and ceiling lights.
A blue poster on a brick wall advertising a cashback promotion by PlumbPro, with coins and crescent shapes, inviting customers to ask about plumbpro perks.
Cover of a booklet titled 'Turning on the tap' with the subtitle 'Your winning playbook', against a blue background. The booklet has a logo of a plumbing faucet and the words 'PLUMB CENTRE'.
A person holding a brown booklet titled 'Plumbing' in their hand, with a blue vending machine or dispenser in the blurred background.
MORE CASE STUDIES
Blue book cover with graphics of pipes and the text "Plumb Centre Brand & Identity Play Book".
A smiling man wearing glasses and a high-visibility vest with a name tag that reads 'PLUMB CENTRE' is shopping in a hardware store. He is holding a clipboard and looking up. Shelves surrounding him are stocked with various packaged plumbing supplies.
A large conference room filled with attendees seated at round tables, watching a presentation on stage illuminated with blue and green lighting, with screens displaying the conference logo and sponsors.
Conference hall filled with attendees seated at round tables, stage with large screens displaying 'Turning the Tap on,' and purple and yellow lighting effects.
Two blue posters with the text "turning the tap on" for a trade show and conference, featuring a faucet icon and the logo for a plumbing center.
Screenshots of a mobile app called 'Fast Fix Challenge' with three screens: the first screen has buttons for starting fixing and learning how to play, the second screen explains how to play with instructions and icons, and the third screen welcomes the user, prompts for a first name or nickname, and asks if the user is a PlumbPro member with a toggle button.
A man with a backpack looking at a blue promotional sign for PlumbPro perks, offering up to £2,000 worth of benefits, including cashback, free Greggs breakfast, and trade account services, displayed inside a metal-paneled building.
Screenshots of a mobile app called PlumbPro for plumbing challenges and leaderboard tracking, with interface screens including game challenge, score logging, user details form, and leaderboard list.
Group of six people, four men and two women, standing on an outdoor staircase in front of a building with glass windows and brick wall. They are smiling and wearing dark blue uniforms with a small identification badge.