Britannia Pool Supplies is a business that has now been in operation since early 2006 on the Costa Blanca.  It is a family concern owned by brothers Alan and Richard Britain and their respective wives, Sue and Pam.

Alan Britain is a man with 40 years´ experience in the swimming pool business and on moving to Spain saw a niche in the market.  he said: "My sister had a house in Hondon and during the spring months they weren´t using their pool because the water was too cold.  I contacted several suppliers of pool heaters and covers on her behalf and found the prices were extremely high.  I did some sums, and thanks to the contacts I´ve built up in the UK over the years, I calculated that I could supply pool heaters, covers and rollers and sell them considerably cheaper than the competition.

Using the skills of three specialist UK suppliers, this is precisely what Alan did.  He found the key to keeping costs down for consumers was to buy and ship in bulk, as storage costs in Spain are pretty reasonable.   He is now confident that customers, will not find a cheaper quote anywhere else.  So why would people want to cover and heat their swimming pools in the first place?  Alan told me: "You´d be surprised how many people want to be able to use their pools in March or April.  Often the sun gets very hot at this time of year, but the water temperature is still very low.  Many of our customers are older, and require a more comfortable temperature all year round.  For some people, getting into a swimming pool all year round is out of the question because it can cause unnecessary shock to the system." 

With just a cover over a swimming pool, the water temperature can be up to 7º warmer than without one.  Add a heater, and the temperature can reach up to 34 degrees.  Alan explained: "The heaters work by taking the natural heat out of the atmosphere, and transferring it directly into the pool.  For that reason, they are very economical to run, just like having an additional fridge."

In such an exclusive market in the UK, reputation is all, and it is something Alan is keen to build on here in Spain.  There seems to be little Alan does not know about swimming pools and he´s happy to pass on tips to customers.  He said: "I no longer build pools, I´m too old for that, but I´m happy to give advice.  I had a telephone call from a customer in the UK just recently.  I built his swimming pool in 1973, and he called to say a small crack had appeared.  He even asked if it was still under guarantee!  The bit I love about the job is that I get to meet lots of very nice people.  I look forward to going out of the door every day and I get pleasure knowing that I´ve saved people some money."

Now to the rollers.  A bit of a dry subject but an essential component if customers opt for a swimming pool cover.  Alan said: "The rollers we supply are designed to take the heavy lifting out of placing or removing the cover from your pool.  Without one, getting a cover off the water can be quite hard work.  They´re light so that once you´ve removed the cover, they can be lifted away from the pool area.  We even supply rollers and covers for kidney-shaped pools."

Alan has invested heavily in building Britannia Pool Supplies, and future plans include potential franchise opportunities, offering agents an area of 100 square kilometers each, and arranging for overnight delivery of products.  Said Alan: "We´re not looking to be millionaires, this is really a small, family business.  But we do get a lot of pleasure from doing a good job and passing on big savings to our customers."