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SAMMSWAINFormer Buying &Merchandising Director of Lakeland headquartered atWindermere in Cumbria


On TheMove and goals.


Lakeland has always been great at product and has a fantastic teamof buyers. New


processes and a critical path added structure to complement product with great planning and commercial ownership.


High point of your career?


It has to bemy promotion to B&MDirector at Lakeland. To be able to take on this role,


I was the Buying &Merc Where were you?


Director at Lakeland. And how did you get there?


I joined Lakeland in 2009 asMerchandising Manager before being promoted to the Director role in 2017 Prior to working at Lakeland I worked for a number of retailers including Debenhams, Habitat,Matalan and Shop Direct.


.


And where are you now? Having very recently left


number of options that I ft


’mcurrently exploring. Lakeland, there are a


I’d originally intended to set up a training consultancy business.Whilst thatmight still happen, I’ve been tempted by other options that would allowme to remain within the housewares industry .


What’s’s been the biggest change since you became involved in the housewares industry? I’ve worked in the housewares industry on and off for almost 28 years and the biggest change that I’ve seen has to be the introduction and evolution of online shopping.


Twenty years ago I couldn’t imagine that consumers would be happy to shop online without physically seeing their purchases first. Fift


fteen years ago I sa t with a number of


have had to think on the laptop… and we just cou would shop on their pho informing us that pretty


going away.


What’s’s been the biggest achievement of your career?


As tough as it was, the restructure of the Lakeland B&Mteamin 2018 provided the foundations for t he teamto evolve enormously. The previously Buying dominant teamtook on amore traditional structure, enabling the Merchandisers to support the Buyers and ensure that commercially, each teamis aligned to common KPIs [Key Performance Indicators]


September/October 201 9


retailers listening to a presentation by Google, soonmore people


ir feet, and that’s not ldn’t see it! Retailers ne than on their


handising (B&M)


heading up a fantastic teamfor a business that I loved, felt like a dreamcome true!


And the low point?


Themost challenging time forme was when Shop Direct and Littlewoodsmerged. It was a tough time for both teams and forme personally thismeant reapplying f ormy job. Many people go through something like this at some point in their career.Whilst not uncommon, it’s a horrible experience when you’re going through it .


“Retailers ha


“Retailers have had to think on the r feet, and that’s not going awa


had think on theiri


eet, and that’s not going away”


During your time in the housewares industry, what products have impressed youmost and why?


y, What won’t youmiss? I remember working as an Assistant


Merchandiser at Debenhams at the time when Le Creuset launched their Grillit. There was a e buzz around the product, even without the port of socialmedia (we’re talking 25 years ago!) and it taughtme a lot ba out s tock control and retailer/supplier relationships. Every TV chef had one in their hands and it was the iconic product of themoment.


sup hug


It tends to be these high volume sudden success products that stick inmymind. Think NutriBullet, spiralisers and Poach Pods inmore recent years.Whether it’s effectivemarketing, the true ability of the product or a bit of both, they go down in housewares history!


Which housewares retailers do you admire and why?


I have great admiration for Dunelm. The evolution of their business has been rapid and diverse. I worked on Bedding at the they sprung up and it rattled everyo


• HousewaresLive.net Houseware resLive.net twitter • m/ /H


ne… and that time that


r.com/Houseware


The food! Somuch food flows through the Lakeland Buying office. There’s a ‘Temptation’ area in the office which is constantly full of sweet treats.Most people gain a stone or two when they join. I fully expect to be a size 8 b y next week!


What’s’s next?


It’s an exciting time.Whether I end up running my own business or becoming part of a new team, I’mlooking forward to a new challenge.


Is it goodbye or au revo Industry?


voir to the housewares


If I end up walking away fromthe housewares industry I’ll be i products, the p


It’s like being part of a big family. So I guess we’ll see!


Samm’s’s contact detailsls are: Mobile: +44772 Email: samanth


Sa Em twitter.com/Housewaresnewsresnews ta


725947942 wa


tha-swain@sky ky. y.co houseware slivlive.net | 1 5


eople, the empathy, the support ncredibly sad. I love the


.


Name one change you wouldmake to the housewares industry


y.. I’dmake it easier to take action when IP


[Intellectual Property] rights are breached. rights are breached. Some products accidentally tread on toes, butmany are blatant and deliberate stic designs. It should be so o get these taken off themarket .


much simpler t copies of fanta


What advice would you give to someon e starting out in the housewares industry? Embrace the industry,


y, the people and the wealth


of knowledge around you. If you spend the time investing in building relationships and listening to others, then it will pay dividends. There is SO much experience and taking the time to absor b this will give you a great start.


What will youmiss?


I’llmiss the amazing people and products at Lakeland: a passion for product and retail tha t I’ve not seen elsewhere. Beyond that, I’mnot sure what I’llmiss yet… it depends where I end up!


was befo fore they bought Dorma!


Of course, since then they’ve continued to evolve into other categories and are now a major player in the housewaresmarket. I also watch the value retailers with interest. B&M, Wilko and Hema are like addictions - you can’t walk past without op pp gin in.


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