Flame Heating Group is celebrating the launch of its 1,500 sq ft bathroom showroom – Durham’s only 4D bathroom design experience.

The heating and plumbing merchant has invested in excess of £100,000 to open the bathroom showroom, after acquiring the adjoining property of its current Durham branch to extend the premises.

It was officially launched at an event held at the site, on Dragonville Industrial Estate, by Dr Bill Moir, Deputy Mayor Consort Durham City, as well as attended by customers and suppliers of Flame Heating Group.

The showroom is said to be the first 4D bathroom design showroom in Durham, which offers customers the opportunity to view their tailored bathrooms, complete with the products and features they have selected through a virtual reality headset.

It also includes whirlpool bath displays, remote showers, as well as log burners among Flame’s product range.

As a result of the expansion, a role has been created, with Graeme Bonas joining the company as Showroom Manager to complement the branch’s Investor Director, Simon Mann.

Simon said: “A lot of hard work, time and dedication has gone into bringing our bathroom design showroom to life, and we are delighted with how it has evolved from concept to the finished article. We are the only firm offering such a bespoke, virtual reality experience in the area, to our knowledge, which allows us to offer even more to our customers.

“It was nice to welcome a number of colleagues, suppliers and friends of the branch to the event, as we look to build on this period of positivity and grow the site further.”

John Savage, Managing Director of Flame Heating Group, added: “The company has benefited from rapid expansion in a relatively short space of time, and our Durham offering has been enhanced by this official launch. We are continually innovating and embracing new forms of technology, as we develop our product range and overall customer experience.

“Further openings and expansions are in the pipeline, which I am hoping will lead to more Flame bathroom showrooms rolled out across the region in the not too distant future.”