Round-up | NEWS
Travis Perkins confi rms plans for Wickes demerger
TRAVIS PERKINS has detailed its plans to demerge DIY chain Wickes as a standalone business in 2020. The plan was outlined in the group’s interim statement of results for the six months ended June 30, where it revealed Wickes had achieved sales growth of 9.7% “after a diffi cult period in 2018”. Travis Perkins’s retail division revenue, which includes Toolstation, Tile Giant and Wickes, delivered total revenues of £695 million. According to the report, the decision to demerge Wickes is a key part of Travis Perkins’s strategy to focus on trade customers and simplify the group. The group said it believes that Wickes, under a management team led by chief executive David Wood, is “well positioned to thrive as a standalone business” and that – as a separate business – Wickes will “have the autonomy to execute on its strategy and allocate capital to its customer proposition and growth opportunities with a clearer focus”. The news follows speculation after the capital markets event last December that the company was looking to sell its plumbing and heating divisions to focus on trade customers. Chief executive John Carter commented: “I’m delighted with the progress the group has made in executing the strategy set out at the capital markets event in December 2018; to focus on our advantaged trade businesses and to simplify the group. The P&H [plumbing and heating] sales process is well under way, and we are today announcing our intention to
Yvonne Orgill joins board of BiKBBI
YVONNE ORGILL, chief executive of the Bathroom Manufacturers Association
(BMA), has joined the
advisory board of the British Institute of Kitchen Bedroom and Bathroom Installation.
Orgill steps down as CEO of the BMA later this year after 13 years at the tiller and the BiKBBI said her new role on its advisory board will further develop the close relationship between the two organisations, with CEO Damian Walters describing it as one “in the back of the net”.
demerge Wickes as a separate business. “This strategic progress has been underpinned by a strong trading period in the fi rst half of 2019 albeit against softer trading conditions in H1 2018. Our trade merchanting businesses have outperformed their markets, through continued focus on delivering excellent customer service, and benefi ting from the leaner, lower cost organisation now in place. “Wickes has delivered a strong turnaround in volume and profi t, with gains in both core DIY and through the kitchen and bathroom showroom. Whilst our underlying markets remain subdued, the self-help initiatives under way are supporting an encouraging improvement in performance and provide a strong platform to drive sustainable growth. Despite a cautious outlook for the near- term, the group remains confi dent in making progress across the year as a whole.” First-half revenues for the group were £2.77 billion (up from £2.59bn in 2018) with operating profi ts of £195 million (£156m in 2018).
He commented: “I cannot even begin to express how happy I am with Yvonne’s board appointment. A respected, highly experienced, much-loved and proven industry leader, Yvonne, from the very beginning, has been a guiding light for BiKBBI. There aren’t many people with experience of leading a successful trade association, so capturing Yvonne’s experience is the footballing equivalent of a cup fi nal 30-yard, top-right screamer into the back of the net!” He added: “Yvonne was one of the very fi rst people I spoke to 15 years ago when we fi rst scoped the prospect of an institute for installation. Since then, our relationship has become stronger and stronger.” The BiKBBI and BMA share the common goals of raising
standards in the industry, promoting educational opportunities and increasing compliance. Indeed Orgill has been active in the development of the Unifi ed Water Label.
Orgill said: “I am thrilled to join the BIKBBI board. I am a fi rm believer in strong partnerships. BiKBBI and BMA have the same vision – compliant product installed correctly for the benefi t of the consumer. A big ask that is not unachievable!”
BSH appoints new chief fi nancial offi cer
GERMAN APPLIANCE giant BSH Hausgeräte GmbH has named Gerhard Dambach as its new chief fi nancial offi cer. The 56-year-old will assume his
new role as of September 1 and takes over from Johannes Närger, who retired at the end of June. Dambach will also be BSH’s labour
relations director and will be the board member responsible for fi nance and the North America region, which
includes Canada.
Prior to this, Dambach was chief executive of BSH’s subsidiary in Italy. He joined BSH in 1993 and has worked in various roles, including fi nance and ‘controlling’.
Commenting on Dambach’s appointment, BSH chairman Dr Stefan Asenkerschbaumer said: “Gerhard Dambach has many years of international experience within the Bosch Group and great expertise in
fi nance and human resources. We are therefore very pleased to appoint him to the board of management of BSH.” Dambach, who has
a PhD in
industrial engineering, said of his new role: “Being appointed to the board of management of BSH is both a challenge and a motivation for me. I am looking forward to the exciting task of helping to guide the destiny of this extraordinary company in a market that is undergoing radical changes.”
Fast and effi cient food waste disposal
In the words of the experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute: ‘the E250 benefi ts from a design that is simple as well as effective. We were impressed by the speed and effi ciency with which it disposed of food’. Factor in the added space and improved cleanliness created in the kitchen and it becomes even more compelling.
insinkerator.co.uk
Evolution 250
September 2019 · kbbreview
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