special report
Spotlight on success
Sirius Buying Group shone the spotlight on its top suppliers and retailers last month
S
eptember 25 was a busy date for Sirius Buying Group (BG), with the hosting of its VIP Members Trade
Show, followed by its annual awards dinner. Both events were held at the Marriott Forest of Arden Hotel and Country Club in Warwickshire. Due to an increase in preferred supplier commitment, the show was 40% bigger compared with 2012 and the attendance of the buying group’s membership was over 96%.Gordon Jones, chairman of Sirius BG, said: “We have an excellent membership of committed, independent retailers. Knowing this commitment, we have overwhelming support from the Group’s preferred suppliers. Hence, this year, with more members and suppliers, it also meant our need for expansion of exhibiting facilities”. He continued: “With such success, there was also an increase in attendance at our annual awards dinner; this year more than 240 were wined, dined and entertained”. Gordon Jones presented the awards in front of the audience of members, manufacturers and suppliers. For 2013, Hoover Candy was named Manufacturer of the Year for the second consecutive year. Hoover Candy sales director Sharon Hamer commented: “We’ve had an excellent year with Sirius and are thrilled to have been given this title. The judges told us that we were chosen for the whole-hearted commitment and support that we offer to retailers.” Sirius BG commercial manager Steve Jones
said: “Congratulations to Hoover Candy. The supplier performance analysis, as returned by our members, focuses on all aspects of the business and shows the development of the relationship between Sirius and Hoover. As a result, the growth that the company has experienced speaks for itself.”
Sharon concluded: “We were up against
some tough competition in this category, as all of the manufacturers that supply Sirius were in contention for the award. The fact that we’ve been named Manufacturer of the Year for the second year running, based on feedback from Sirius members, is a real credit to our company and particularly our team of hard-working regional sales managers.” Portway Domestic Appliances was awarded
Distributor of the Year – again, for the second year running. And the coveted Retailer of the Year Award
was presented to Wallasey-basedretailer, Ian Fitzsimmons of Power Point. The fourth and final award is for individual
recognition, and is given to a person working for a manufacturer or supplier who supports and goes the extra mile for a mutual benefit. This year, the Company Representative of the Year Award was presented to Ian Heaven, an office-based member of staff from D.A.D. [Domestic Appliance Distributors]. A major highlight of the awards dinner is a
charity auction which tends to raise thousands of pounds thanks to extremely big-hearted donations given by retailers and suppliers. In previous years, Sirius has raised in excess of £60,000 for Cancer Research UK. This year’s cause, chosen by Sirius member Ben Gilks of Nailsea Electrical, is to support the building of a school, for the Children of Cambodia charity. With the overwhelming generosity of members and suppliers, more than £11,500 was raised on the night for this worthy venture. In a bid to increase this amount to £20,000, Ben has signed up to take part in a gruelling fund-raising event called Zero to Hero: a white collar boxing project taking place on December 7. For more details, go to www.
justgiving.com/Ben-Gilks
Manufacturer of the Year
(l-r): Greg Paul – Hoover, Julie Blaylock - Hoover, Mark Hopkins – Hoover, Steve Jones – Sirius, Gordon Jones– Sirius, Sharon Hamer - Hoover Candy, Peter Gilks – Sirius, Bev Parsons – Hoover, Sue Saunders – Hoover, Jane Seagrave – Hoover, Billy Beggs – Hoover
Distributor of the Year
(l-r): John Bainbridge - Portway , Steve Jones - Sirius, Gordon Jones –Sirius, Peter Gilks – Sirius, Neil Bradford – Portway, Trevor Bradley - Portway
Retailer of the Year
(l-r): Steve Jones –Sirius, Phil Cox - Borshch Electrical [2012 Winner], Ian Fitzsimmons - Power Point, Gordon Jones – Sirius, Peter Gilks -Sirius
Company Representative
of the Year (l-r): Steve Jones –Sirius, Phil Cox - Borshch Electrical, Ian Heaven - D.A.D, Gordon Jones – Sirius, Peter Gilks -Sirius
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www.innovativeelectricalretailing.co.uk October 2013
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