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Monday February 4 2019 THE NATIONAL MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM, BIRMINGHAM
KEVIN McKAYManaging Director (European office) of Captivate Brands at Evesham in Worcs. On the board
window of opportunity to speak is about three hours in the morning before they start to wind down for the day. Then it’s onto UK matters, more emails and
various internal and external meetings throughout the week. I like the variation of each day and make sure I
What's your background? I came straight into the retail industry from school aged 17, as a store manager for the 125-store hardware chain ER Goodrich. Over a seven-year period I worked my way up the ladder and after the company went into receivership, I opened up my own hardware store. It was a baptism of fire running my own business! Eight years later I was offered my first buying role in the department store sector, at Roomes of Upminster [part of the Morleys Stores group] and then onto Bentalls in Kingston-upon Thames. In 2006 I was offered a buying and product
development role at KitchenCraft. This was my first introduction to working for a distributor and dealing with China on a daily basis. In 2012 I was asked to open and head up a UK
and European subsidiary for H&H Asia, which is based in China and has been selling worldwide for 30 years. It specialises in FOB [Freight On Board] business. This was another baptism of fire experience but very interesting! In 2016 we rebranded as Captivate Brands. When I
started it was just me with one designer. Now we have five designers and two product developers in a team of 11. The UK office is the design hub for the global business.
Tell us a bit about Captivate Brands. H&H Asia has built a strong factory base in China and other Asian countries, which enables us to offer a wide range of housewares at competitive prices. The idea behind rebranding the UK office to
Captivate Brands was simply our desire as a company to own our own unique brands, and we thought the name was more fitting with the changing business we have today. The Captivate Brands product range currently
covers three kitchenware lines: Bakehouse & Co, Kitchen Pantry and Venn.
What’s your working week like? Manic to say the least but interesting as each day is different, which is why I love the job. I tend to start each day by answering any overnight emails from the China office, as the
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get out regularly to see customers. What I really love most is product development, so I’m heavily involved in that side too.
What’s keeping you busy? The staff, customers and the ongoing product development which is never-ending at Captivate Brands.
eating out and playing golf - although I need to make more time to play golf!
During your time in the housewares industry, what products (apart from your own) have impressed you most? Joseph Joseph really stands out for me as an innovative and commercial range of products. You see the products everywhere.
During your time in the housewares industry, which retailers have impressed you most? There are many good retailers but Lakeland has always impressed me as they are particularly good at sourcing and developing products which are exclusive to them.
‘The biggest buzz
for me will always be when you see
products - that you have designed and
developed - in stores and selling well’
What’s on your agenda? Making sure we seize every opportunity that comes our way, and keeping staff and customers happy.
Most rewarding aspect of your job? I guess the biggest buzz for me will always be when you see products - that you have designed and developed - in stores and selling well.
Most challenging aspect of your job? Making sure our customers’ expectations are met, offering a quality product, at the right price and making sure all shipments are away on time. It’s so easy… I wish!
What do you do to relax? I love spending time with my family at weekends,
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What’s the biggest challenge and opportunity facing housewares retailers? Keeping up with online businesses, which are increasing all the time. There are some excellent websites which are so easy to navigate and shop. For the consumer, it’s so convenient to shop online.
What’s the biggest challenge and opportunity facing housewares suppliers? I guess at the moment it’s the uncertainty of what Brexit will bring and also the challenges facing us with China, with the ever-increasing raw material and labour costs. There are always opportunities: you just have to be smart and create them for yourself.
What’s the biggest change you’ve seen since you joined the housewares industry? The whole buying and selection process. When I started as a buyer, I would see a product (an opportunity), make a decision, buy it and have it in- store on the shelves usually within the week.
What one change would you like to see in the housewares industry? Obviously I would like to see Captivate as a key supplier with a good presence of our ranges in a variety of retail stores!
What advice would you give to someone starting out in the housewares industry? Throw yourself into your job, enjoy it and make your own luck. It’s an ever-changing but interesting industry, which can produce plenty of opportunities if you are career-minded.
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twitter.com/Housewaresnews September/October 2018
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