The kbbreview Interview // Sharon Wallis
We’re following the same direction we’ve always taken but going even further to really elevate ourselves within the industry and I hope that that continues
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How’s the brand faring right now? In the UK we’re active in the contract market, we operate five of our own studios and we also have a network of 13 independent dealers. We’ve been very focused on the service side of the business and making sure that we can meet the needs of a varied client base. We’ve seen our average order values increase as a result. Our independent retail partners are a really, really important part of our business. Everything we do as a brand comes back to them. We’ve signed a number of new dealers this year who are already great partners and it’s a channel that we're also looking to grow further. Overall, I’d say our studios are probably the busiest that they’ve been for a long time, but there are many delays on sites so a lot of the projects that we’re currently dealing with are already into next year, late next year.
What’s your take on the kitchen market in general at the moment? I don’t think it’s any surprise this year has been very, very challenging. We’ve seen some big casualties already and I do think there will be more, unfortunately. There's a lot of uncertainty around the globe, and, in the UK, we need the budget to happen sooner rather than later, but developers, investors, consumers, can’t not do anything forever. We’ve started to see a movement in the market so it’s coming. Things will start to improve, but slowly.
What about your short-term/long-term aims and objectives for the brand? Long-term, I want to raise awareness of the brand across all our channels. We’re taking steps to achieve that, but it’s not an overnight project. I want Poggenpohl to be a brand that everybody aspires to, not just because of the quality and design of the product, but because of our service as well. I’m a numbers person so obviously I want to grow the business, but they go hand in hand. We’ve seen some fantastic launches in Germany recently, such as Wing and Diamond, and I want to get those products into studios here so that we can keep the brand front of mind for everyone. Making sure that we continue to innovate, push the boundaries, and listen to our customers, they’re all part of my core focus points for this business.
Although we’re seeing changes, the industry is still predominantly run by men. Do you think having a female in the role of MD, for such a well-known brand, will help encourage more women into the industry? One of the reasons there's still a difference in ratios is that this industry tends to hold onto people, so you don’t often see many changes at top level. I certainly think people need role models so they can see that anything is achievable. Poggenpohl itself is a very inclusive business and I think it’s important to support progression and give a platform for people to develop. We're lucky to have a lot of very talented women working for us but, we're also lucky to have a lot of talented men across the business. I try to be a positive role model for everyone. For me, it’s about keeping opportunities open for the right people at the right time. I think that’s very important. kbbr
How Jomoo saved Poggenpohl
In April 2020 Poggenpohl began insolvency proceedings in Germany, making it one of the first high profile kitchen brands to collapse under the strain of the coronavirus market downturn. What perhaps made the story of its near demise
even more interesting to the wider market at the time, was the high-profile battle for ownership that ensued. For weeks it looked like a done deal for the Lux
Group – the owners of the Smallbone and Mark Wilkinson brands led by American entrepreneur Ron Shemesh. However, following a late bid, the iconic kitchen
brand was eventually saved from administration in September 2020 by Jomoo Germany, the German subsidiary of Chinese giant Jomoo Group.
Listen to the full interview with Sharon Wallis in an upcoming episode of The kbbreview Podcast.
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kbbreview
November 2024
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