Monday February 5 2018 THE NATIONAL MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM, BIRMINGHAM
On the board
In February, Rob Jones joined supplier Horwood Homewares as sales director, succeeding Jeremy Horwood following his retirement. Three months on, Rob shares a progress report
I’m on a steep curve learning internally, so I’m spending time in the office understanding how and why we do what we do - and how we can put things in place to help us move forward.
What’s the one thing that you couldn’t do your job without? The Horwood team. Whether they’re picking a product from the warehouse or discussing a new product with the customer, the team are constantly striving to deliver excellent service and support to our customers and consumers. We wouldn’t be able to achieve anything without everyone playing their part.
What's your background? It’s a mix of Independent and multiple retail leadership, combined with sales development, marketing and product development. I joined Horwood from Miele, the German
appliance manufacturer. Prior to Miele I spent three years at Bayer, working as a channel lead in consumer care. That was preceded by a role at Dyson, working on their commercial products team. I’m a keen brand advocate and hope to bring some of that experience to Horwood.
Tell us a bit about Horwood. It has the heartbeat of a family business which is driven by a really experienced team. One of things I’ve really admired since
joining is the dedication that every single person has in helping to achieve our overall objectives. I think the traditions and values that the
company has always demonstrated have given us a good reputation and standing in the industry. Retaining these values is very much at the forefront of our plans moving forward.
What’s your working week like? It’s really varied, which is great. I try to spend as much time as possible with customers, or out with our sales team. This gives us a great opportunity to share plans and ideas and gain valuable insight into future opportunities. Being relatively new to Horwood also means
May 2017
Most rewarding aspect of your job? There is a strong emotional link attached to owning a housewares product. So it’s very rewarding when you hear feedback that somebody loves using a Stellar or Judge product. It’s always great to hear that people continue to love using our brands.
“I’m a keen brand
advocate and hope to bring some of that
experience to Horwood”
What’s keeping you busy? The variation of the day job.
What’s on your agenda? Customer engagement, product development and export. These are three big ticket items on our agenda and will form a central part of our strategy moving forward.
What do you do to relax? I’m not too sure I’d call it relaxing but I tend to spend most of my time outside of work with my family. The kids are involved in lots of clubs and groups. so we’re usually on our way to a muddy field or a sports hall of some kind. I also try to get out for the occasional run, which helps me relax.
During your time in the housewares industry, which retailers have impressed you most and why? Like all of us, I’m a consumer and I like to
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experience first class customer service, so any retailer who demonstrates this as standard will impress. Additionally, as consumer shopping habits
rapidly evolve, there is a requirement for retailers to evolve with them. Those retailers who are proactive will impress not only the trade but more importantly their consumer base.
What’s the biggest issue facing the housewares industry? It’s too easy to say Brexit because there’s still a huge element of the unknown to play out over the coming months and years. I think the biggest challenge the industry
faces is doing nothing whilst the Brexit negotiations and leaving process are actually under way. We still have customers to satisfy and
interact with and we must be proactive to offer them quality product, service and support.
What one change would you like to see in the housewares industry? I’d like to see more positive engagement with the potential that online and digital platforms can offer - not simply from a sales perspective but from a consumer engagement and product education standpoint.
What advice would you give to someone starting out in the housewares industry? Engage with as many customers as early as possible and listen to what they have to say. The value you can gain from understanding what matters to your customer is huge
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