the BIG interview
‘A product should look after you as long as you look after it’
Magimix UK managing director Steve Punter discusses matching consumers with the right products and delivering an engaging retail environment
S
teve Punter returned to the UK in November 2016, and finds himself back in his home town of Godalming,
several months into his role as managing director of Magimix UK. Having been based in Hong Kong with Philips for four years, what prompted his return? “I came back because there was this great
opportunity of joining a wonderful team, a wonderful brand, and in the town that I grew up in,” he explains. The company also operates in a market Steve has experienced before in his time with Philips, although he began in a different sector entirely. He comments: “My first job was in the DIY
sector, in a traditional marketing environment, working for Henkel on consumer adhesives. That was a great start to my career, because I got experience in sales and marketing and I had a great mentor. “I moved to Groupe SEB in 2000 and then Philips in 2007, working in the small domestic
appliance sector in sales management roles for products such as kettles, toasters and irons. I was there at the birth of the steam generator movement. That was an amazing part of the growth in garment care, because people got a genuine benefit by trading up from traditional irons to a higher purchase product.” Steve then moved into consumer
electronics, working across audio and home video, including the early days of Blu-ray, during which time he transferred to Hong Kong in 2013 as a global business manager for Philips. He worked with Gibson Innovations on an emerging category of products which would work with smartphones, called app- enabled products, which has since developed into wearables and smart home solutions. Before returning to the UK, Steve moved into headphones as global business manager in 2015, seeing the category shift from an accessory purchase to highly desirable products in their own right.
Since coming back to England at the end
of last year, he’s been getting to grips with the Magimix brand position and is very pleased with what he has seen so far. “The Magimix organisation, throughout
its entire structure, is amazing,” he says. “It’s underpinned by the fact that we’re very true to our word, and a passionate manufacturer of great products. As a company, we don’t need to respond to the needs of external stakeholders, so we can drive in our own direction. You don’t need to react to every change in the landscape. “The more you change direction, the more consumers don’t know what you stand for. Magimix has always been consistent. When you join a company like that, you know you’re joining a company that has great integrity. That goes a long way, both with the professional and the consumer.” Steve continues: “That reputation, and the high regard people have for the brand, is an absolute privilege. I don’t take it lightly, and it’s hard work to protect that position as well. There are many pressures, so you have to be diligent. The view is always not what is happening tomorrow, but long term. Short term trends come and go.”
To keep things simple for consumers, Magimix appliances only feature three buttons, meaning a user only has to select the correct attachment for the result they want to achieve
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www.innovativeelectricalretailing.co.uk
‘People understand the brand’ Magimix has an advantage in that is has become almost synonymous with the food processor, with celebrity chefs often using the brand name as a shorthand for the whole category, Steve adds. “People understand the brand,” he says. “We’re not reinventing the wheel - that wheel
April 2017
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