comment CAROLINE HOLFORDAccount Director of ESA Sales with bases in Yorkshire and Surrey On the Move
consumers. We are really excited to have the opportunity
What’s your background? Although my career has been predominantly in housewares, I have also worked in the luxury, gift and greeting, brand licensing and garden sectors.
My marketing and product development experience in our industry, gained at William Levene, Salter Housewares and Dexam, is proving invaluable in my role as account director at ESA Sales. My most recent housewares role was marketing manager at Dexam.
Tell us a bit about ESA Sales. After many years working with the UK’s biggest and most prestigious retailers, Chris Hoyle founded ESA Sales in order to offer a valuable and cost-effective alternative to the traditional distributor model. He forged partnerships with an exciting array
of brands and we work with UK retailers on their behalf: Tatay, Zak Designs, Platters Slater and ICO. Tatay is an extensive range of quality
products manufactured in Spain, with innovative and design-led solutions for the home, kitchen, bathroom and garden. Zak Designs is best known for its extensive melamine range, including beautiful servingware which is ideal for Christmas, and its signature colourful collections. Platters Slate offers a wide collection of slate platters, cheeseboards, placemats and coasters, along with wall and hanging signs which can be personalised for the home and garden, all of which are handcrafted in Lancashire. ICO is an outstanding range of professional grade items for the keen cook, including cream whippers, soda siphons and an exciting new Nitro Coffee range.
Chris’ business model has worked so well that he has had to expand the team by bringing me on board and, excitingly, we have new brand acquisitions which are soon to be announced! As well as the traditional housewares and DIY channels, we have established relationships within the garden industry, and we are actively promoting our brands to a new audience of
July/August 2019
to offer something different that will appeal to the demographic, as we are taking Salter kitchen products to this channel along with collections from the HoMedics and Ellia ranges which will provide relaxation and wellbeing in the home (and garden!). We are also excited to be representing House of Marley, an award- winning range of audio equipment which has ethical sourcing, sustainability and philanthropy at its heart. As ESA Sales is not a distributor or wholesaler, we are able to focus on providing a great service: basically all the attributes of a UK 'front office' but at a fraction of the cost - and we are able to draw on our expertise in managing low MOQ [Minimum Order Quantity] requirements, opportunities for direct consumer deliveries and JIT [Just In Time] logistics.
What does your role entail? My role is to act as a conduit between retailers and our brand partners, facilitating the process of getting products listed and managing sales and marketing requirements.
How do you spend an average day? I could be putting together a product range proposal, visiting a buying team or formulating an omni-channel campaign. With a role that combines both sales and marketing, no day is ever the same. It’s a pretty dynamic environment and that definitely keeps life interesting!
What’s keeping you busy? ESA Sales has just signed up for Glee 2019 [a garden and outdoor living trade show at Birmingham’s NEC in September], so now it's all systems go to create an exciting space to showcase our brands to the garden centre channel.
One of the best things about being in this
industry is the chance to play with beautiful products, so we’re looking forward to demonstrating our ranges and enthusing buyers about the opportunity to create new in- store experiences for their consumers.
What’s been the biggest change since you became involved in the housewares industry? The rise of internet selling has evolved the buying journey. As information becomes easier to access and share, richer content is becoming so much more important, whether it’s 360˚ angled product photography, augmented reality or Insta-shopping. The way we interact with our customers is constantly evolving and our
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HousewaresLive.net
industry needs to ensure it’s on top of these developments.
What’s been the biggest achievement of your career? Having recently joined ESA Sales, I’m confident that it is yet to come!
High point of your career? Inventing (and drinking) cocktails with [Michelin-starred chef] Heston Blumenthal to celebrate the launch of his new range in collaboration with Salter. We spent many enjoyable hours brainstorming new ideas at [his restaurant] The Fat Duck’s Experimental Kitchen and I feel really privileged to have been a part of that.
During your time in the housewares industry, what products have impressed you most and why? Products which stay true to their brand values, keep it simple and create a moment of delight for the user. This could be the shape of a handle, the twist of a mechanism or the touch of a quality finish. Impressive products don’t have to be the most expensive ones on the shelf, but the ones that have had thought and care put into their development.
What advice would you give to someone starting out in the housewares industry? Embrace the opportunity to find out about innovations, global trends and other cultures. We are so lucky to be able to combine our love of food and design in an industry filled with people who are passionate about products. Enjoy it!
Ellia Gather Ultrasonic Essential Oil Diffuser
• To find out more about working with ESA Sales, contact Caroline at
caroline.holford@esasales.co.uk or Chris at
chris.hoyle@esasales.co.uk or visit
www.esasales.co.uk
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twitter.com/Housewaresnews
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