Monday February 4 2019 THE NATIONAL MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM, BIRMINGHAM
comment CAROL SMITHUK & Ireland Country Manager of International Cookware at Hockley Heath in the West Midlands On the board
What's your background? Before joining International Cookware I worked for 15 years in the supply chain focusing on logistics. I started working with International Cookware in 2006 as a customer service manager, moving to logistic manager and finally site manager in 2009 when we moved warehousing premises. I was promoted to UK sales manager in 2012 and then to UK & Ireland country manager in 2015.
Tell us a bit about Pyrex. Pyrex is our key brand. It’s a household name, recognised for good quality glass. It has many iconic pieces but the one we’re most famous for - and which is still our best seller today - is the 0.5L jug, which makes regular appearances on most TV cooking programmes. An additional brand is O Cuisine.
What’s your working week like? Very varied, which is why I like my role. My duties range from strategic planning with the marketing team for new product launches, to budget analysis, to ensuring my team have all the information required to succeed in their respective retail channels.
What’s keeping you busy? All of the above.
What’s on your agenda? It’s mid-year budget review time, so currently most of my time is spent analysing and reviewing the budget and ensuring the year- end forecast is as accurate as possible. And we
are preparing for our main trade show: Exclusively Housewares in London.
Most rewarding aspect of your job? When my team succeed.
Most challenging aspect of your job? Balancing my workload between UK and corporate needs.
During your time in the housewares industry, what products have impressed you most and why? Metal bakeware and pots and pans under some retailers’ own-brand labels. The quality and price points are very attractive to the consumer, making them question why they need to buy branded products.
Which retailers have impressed you most and why? The rise of discounters has been astronomical. They have removed any snobbery amongst consumers and offer good value for money.
What’s the biggest challenge and opportunity facing housewares retailers? The biggest challenge is to keep consumer traffic loyal, as there’s so much more variety available with the increased presence of online retailers. The biggest opportunity is to increase online presence.
What’s the biggest challenge and opportunity facing housewares suppliers? The biggest challenge is the competition with non-branded products. Brands are being used
more and more for promotional activity only. The biggest opportunity? Digital sales, as
you’re able to promote products through great imagery and videos - and this is a huge advantage over high street retailers.
What’s the biggest change you’ve seen since your joined the housewares industry? The increased presence of good quality retailer labelled products,
What one change would you like to see in the housewares industry? Price wars between retailers. Retailers need to remember why consumers go to their stores. Consumer experience is as important as price.
What advice would you give to someone starting out in the housewares industry? Be aware of all the channels in the market sector and understand the priorities within each channel. Understand your competition and evaluate where your products can compete - whether it be on price or special features. Strong market knowledge is essential in
order to succeed, as the marketplace is forever changing.
What do you do to relax? I enjoy watching the Welsh National rugby union team and spending time with my grandson.
Five years ago this month in Housewares Magazine…
• Homeware ecommerce retailer Lords of Notting Hill (now Lords at Home) was preparing to move from bricks to clicks with the launch of a new concept store in west London.
• Building work began on a new John Lewis ‘at home’ store in the Kent town of Ashford.
• Michelin star chef Tom Kitchin launched a housewares range in collaboration with product design house Blueprint. The Kitchin homeware collection comprised kitchen knives, cookware and woodware.
• Premier Housewares linked up with UK YouTube cooking channel and food website Sorted to launch a range of cookware, knives, scales, utensils and aprons aimed at students and first-time buyers.
• Le Creuset Toughened Non-Stick saucepans and the Michel Roux by GreenPan milk pan from The Cookware Company were the top- selling products at Kitchens in Bristol and The Oxford Pantry in Oxfordshire respectively.
• Disposable cookware, kitchenware and tabletop supplier NJ Products celebrated its fifth anniversary by offering all customers a 5% discount on orders in May.
• Celebrity cook Delia Smith CBE won a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Special Award for her outstanding contribution to television cookery and services to broadcasting.
June 2018 •
HousewaresLive.net •
twitter.com/Housewaresnews housewareslive.net | 37
Source: Housewares Magazine May/June 2013
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
