Adrian Gillman interview “I think what we’ve got to remember is


that the replacement market is bigger than the new market and I think you’ve got to focus on that – everyone’s fridge or oven will break down and consumers will have to replace them. “During the pandemic volumes didn’t slow down – and it hasn’t come directly from the new build market – it’s come from the replacement market. In 2022, we’ve taken on Bertazzoni and Miele and both have been successful with us in a short amount of time.”


The Covid-19 pandemic While this industry is used to challenges,


no one could foresee the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic was going to have when it hit these shores in March 2020. Adrian says he was surprised by initial


inertia among retailers who were unsure whether they could open. “I was clear in my mind that retailers needed to be open,” Adrian says. “If you’re selling refrigerators and someone needs insulin cooled, you’re allowed to sell domestic appliances and if you’ve got terminally ill children at home, they need to wash their clothes.


“Because we had people on furlough, I was actually loading lorries with a forklift, and I really enjoyed it. “I think the pandemic drove e-commerce


From the team Key D.A.D team members give an insight into their roles


Alex Townsend Job title: Commercial director


Length of service: Joined D.A.D in September 2021


Responsibilities: “My role is to drive the business forward; trying to fi nd new areas of growth and then accelerating what the business already does.” “I see some of the


growth coming from the e-commerce channel.”


Richard Gillman Job title: Operations manager


Length of service: 20+ years


Responsibilities: Across the business, covering goods in/out, queries with sales, containers at docks and liaising with suppliers. Refl ections: “D.A.D’s 30th anniversary is a great milestone to have reached. I think it’s great that we’re a third-generation business and that we’ve maintained growth.”


Michelle Burke Job title: PA to Adrian Gillman


Length of service: 21 years


Responsibilities: “I’m a general all-rounder really, working across facilities, accounts and IT; I deal with whatever’s thrown at me.” Refl ections: “The business has a good feel; we’ve certainly seen some changes over the time. D.A.D has done remarkably well. It’s like a family here and the Gillman’s are very loyal.”


4


to another level – it should have enhanced customers’ business and driven their online platform.” Adrian continues: “Between May and July 2020, our warehouse was half empty. No products were coming in because of lockdown and it was quite scary and eerie to go into the warehouse and see the space, a size of a football pitch, which was half empty. “I was thinking where’s my next order was coming from. The team behind me pulled it through, and we came out of the pandemic as a much stronger business.”


Business success


By his own admission, D.A.D has been very successful in spreading its wings and fi nding new business to keep the momentum and the growth going. Adrian says: “I’ve built up two brands.


We got a high percentage of the chest freezer market under Ice King, which is now a household brand name; Montpellier is now 10 years old and is becoming a household brand name. “It’s been diffi cult running a distributor and two brands at the same time. We’re not competing with any manufacturer that we’re distributing for and we focus on all the brands equally.” In the independent retail sector, D.A.D has around 640 active customers in the


D.A.D in numbers


Warehouse: 155,000sq ft Staff: 71 Lorries: 34 Customer deliveries a day: 340 Units sold per month (MDA & SDA): 55,000 Active retail customers: 640 Stock turned: Every 8 weeks


electrical retail market that order on a weekly basis; and there’s another 240 customers that order when they need to. “Independents is our strongest sector and, hopefully, will be for many years to come,” he adds.


The 30th anniversary


“It’s been a journey,” Adrian says. “It’s been long hours, sometimes 16/17 hours a day. I’m not reporting to anybody, but if I fail, I fail myself and failure was never an option for me.”


“I’m very proud and I have achieved everything I wanted to achieve.” Adrian continues: “The biggest


strength of D.A.D is the team; it’s not one individual, it’s the team. We set out our goals, what we want to achieve, and we go and achieve them as a team. It’s great leadership to make sure that the team is working for the same end result, that’s what makes it successful.” Adrian says that D.A.D will continue with


its growth plans. “After all, this time being in business, it


will certainly continue to grow in the way it’s grown over the last 30 years – there is no reason why it can’t. “Manufacturers need a good distributor,


they can’t distribute themselves. A lot of manufacturers haven’t even got their own transport – some big-name manufacturers use third party logistics. “A distributor is an extension of a manufacturer – not all manufacturers understand that. Sometimes manufacturers think distributors are in competition with them – we’re not in competition with anybody who supplies us. “We’ve got some good staff that are focused on the business and focused on driving it to the next goal. I would never say to anybody that I am the best; I’m just good at what I do.”


March/April 2022 | D.A.D Special


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48