Interview
Waving goodbye to Mr Manrose
Aſter 36 years of working at Manrose, Clive Britton is retiring as sales director, heralding the end of an era for the British fan manufacturer.
A
ffectionately known in the electrical industry as Mr Manrose, Clive Britton is probably the longest serving sales director in the sector. Since joining Manrose in 1987, Clive has seen nine Prime Ministers come and go, and has watched the sector transform.
A good cuppa
Clive didn’t start in the electrical sector. He began his sales career in 1976 aged 20, when he joined Lyons Tetley. At Tetley, Clive honed his sales skills working his way up to area manager for the prestigious blue-chip brand.
Early days
Clive was there right at the start of Manrose. In 1987 Clive’s good friend Robert Belcher, whose family was already in the fan business, decided to set up a new company. On 24 December 1987, the company was registered with Clive as company secretary, and Manrose was born. As Robert was a family friend, he started a Manrose production line in Clive’s parents’ garage, staffed by friends, while Clive’s mother fed them all sandwiches and cooked them lunch.
During the first year or two Clive was in the background helping Robert, but in 1989 Clive joined Manrose as national sales manager. At the time, Clive had no knowledge of the electrical industry, but Robert reassured him that it wasn’t a problem since a 4-inch fan was about the size of a box of Tetley 80 teabags! “We just sell boxes!”
As Robert was a family friend, he started a Manrose production line in Clive’s parents’ garage, staffed by friends, while Clive’s mother fed them all sandwiches and cooked them lunch.
At the beginning, Manrose started small with only 15 product lines and a couple of variations. This included a 4-inch standard, pull cord and timer fan, two shower fans and three window fans. In comparison, 35 years later Manrose now has over 3,200 products.
When Clive started as sales manager, his brief was to double the company sales from £500,000 to £1m in a year. But as Clive has admitted: “I love
gaining new business, that is my forte.” It’s no surprise, therefore, that Clive didn’t just double the turnover - he grew the business to £1.3m in just 12 months. Clive was made sales director in 1990.
A stand at the Electrics Show at the NEC in 1990 proved a big breakthrough for the company, resulting in a raft of sales leads for Cliven - not only from independents but from national wholesalers, with Manrose now an established manufacturer.
Recognised supplier status followed, with the big nationals like Edumdsons in 1991, followed by all the major buying groups from 1993-1996. Manrose was now recognised by every electrical buying group in the electrical trade, and striking the order pad with £1m turning into £2.5m and then to £6m as the company continued to grow. By 2007, Manrose’s turnover had reached £20m. Volution Holdings recognized the British manufacturer’s success and bought the company. Since then, Manrose has continued its growth and success.
Industry changes
Over Clive’s career, he has experienced a transformation in the electrical industry, including a move from pen and paper orders to computerisation. He identifies the 1990 amendments to Part F of the Building Regulations as a pivotal moment for the ventilation sector. Prior to the changes, extractor fans were only required in enclosed bathrooms or toilets, but the new regulations stated that fans must be installed into bathrooms and toilets with or without a window. Sales grew overnight, and this in turn made the general public aware of extractor fans.
More recently, the pandemic brought ventilation and its health benefits into sharp focus. This focus has continued as the health risks
30 | electrical wholesaler February 2024
ewnews.co.uk
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