editor’s interview


“We still want to engage with even more


independents, but the progress has been really good”


James Goldsmith was appointed managing director for Whirlpool UK Appliances earlier this year. He tells Simon King how coming back to lead the UK business, aſter seven years working in Belgium, was an easy decision to make


J


ames Goldsmith has worked for Whirlpool in various roles of increasing


responsibility for over 24 years and he has a wealth of knowledge and experience of the domestic appliance industry. Mr Goldsmith started his career at Indesit


where he covered several positions with increasing responsibility in the commercial spaces in the regional head office in Italy and the UK. In 2016, he moved to KitchenAid EMEA, based


in Belgium, where the business doubled over his period as general manager of the region. Speaking in the World Of Whirlpool


showroom, Mr Goldsmith said he was extremely proud to return to the UK and embark on a new challenge with the company. He said”I went to KitchenAid, EMEA seven


years ago and I loved it, and I enjoyed working in Belgium. KitchenAid is a pure love brand and then I got the phone call to say, would I like to do the UK job. “I was the marketing director, then the commercial director, and then I got the opportunity to be the managing director. The answer was yes, of course.” Returning to the UK has brought Mr Goldsmith back to the brands that he grew up with – Indesit, Hotpoint, and latterly, Whirlpool.


10 | www.ierdaily.co.uk James Goldsmith


“It’s where I started,” he said, “but it’s also the infrastructure that we’ve got and the team we have, it’s such a such a great place and I really welcomed the opportunity to come back.” Mr Goldsmith said that the brand portfolio can appeal to all customers, there really is something for everyone under the group umbrella. “We’ve got Indesit, Hotpoint, Whirlpool and


KitchenAid – we offer the complete solution,” Mr Goldmsith said. “We’ve got that infrastructure around our business as well all in-house, and we’ve got some innovations coming through,


which is helping us gain market share.” He said that Whirlpool UK Appliances has


increased its market share in the first six months of 2023 and it is reported that Hotpoint and Indesit have a combined marketshare of around 20%. “We’re gaining market share at the moment and things are looking better, but it’s still tough out there,” Mr Goldsmith said. “We’ve got quite distinct positionings for


Indesit and Hotpoint, and then when you bring Whirlpool into it, there is a little bit of a crossover that’s there, however, we’ve worked really hard on differentiating the design and the value proposition of Hotpoint and Whirlpool. “There is a clear premium that Whirlpool


deserves, in terms of its value proposition, it’s excellent. I’m quite new to Whirlpool – don’t forget I’ve been away for seven years – but what I see is a brand that resonates with the consumer and has a right to win in the UK and Ireland.” Mr Goldsmith said a challenge of retailing in 2023, amid the cost-of-living crisis and soaring household bills, is that consumers are now taking even longer in the decision-making process of the appliances that they wish to purchase. “Our responsibility as manufacturers and


retailers is to educate them to make the right choices on the product or products they’re buying,” he said. “We have a role to play to educate our retailers about what we can offer to the consumer that makes things better.


July/August 2023


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