comment comment


fan. It’s how all good designs should be. Outside the category, the original Le


Cafetiere. Again it’s simple, easy to use and


And which retailers hav great value.


and why?


This is difficult one but I particularmention to all


the independent retail would like to give a


store owners who sacrifice somuch. The hardship is real when you take into account not just the retail competition but the non-support of national government and local councils. It’s astonishing tome how they continue to be as driven and successful asmany of themare. I have genuine admiration for their hard work. On a separate note I’ma huge fan of


Lakeland h, aving wor ek d with themsince 1989 and seen the business grow and develop during that time. [The company is] creative, forward- thinking, engaging and totally professional. Lakeland know their customer base every well. The combination of innovative product combined with essential lines and carefully priced point options is very clever. They seemto be evolving all the time and as a family business, it’s a great success story. In the department store sector


r,, I believe


Fenwick andMorleys have done an excellent job. Their investments in recent years have been significant regarding in-store


refurbishment, working extremely hard to retain and build on their customer bases.


What’s’s the biggest challenge and opportunity facing housewares retailers?


There aremany challenges and we’re all too familiar with the different levels of playing field compared to different sectors of themarket. I’mconcerned aboutmy children’s generation growing up with a limited choice on the high street. In years gone by, families would spend a whole Saturday shopping at a local town. The younger generation is being removed fromthis ‘shopping experience’ and I fear we could end up with a high street full restaurants - and I don’t in that.


see the excitement of cafes and


As a business we do a huge amount of ‘event days’ for our retail customers. Some stores embrace it very well, others less so. No longer are consumers willing to accept average service. They want to knowmore about the products and the category they are buying into. When I undertake ’meet themaker’ days,my customers don’t just want to know aboutmy


e impressed youmost


product. They want to know howmany grape varieties of wine there are, what are the best- selling wines (red, white and by price), and which ones will giveme a headache.


I have to know all the answers to ensure each customer goes away with all the information - and has potentially bought the product - but, above all, has had a great day out.


As a shoppermyself, I get very bored quickly if I can’t find what I need. I also get irritated if a product is not priced, or I can’t findmy size, or themerchandising and displays/category links are poor. Some of the basics are oft


ftenmissed


and thesemake a huge difference tomaking a sale.


Customer service is still a number one factor and, backed up by good quality product knowledge, I’mstill convinced the high street has a real positive future.


What’s’s the biggest challenge and opportunity facing housewares suppliers?


I can only comment on our own challenges and we need to continue to up our level of service and quality to continue to develop for the future. The digital retail trade is here to stay and we are committed to supporting the retail business in general. But I do feel that in the case of traditional retail stores we are at a critical point andmore needs to be done to encourage consumers to support the high stre Froma supplier point of view, we


,


are very et.


committed to independent stores and if national and local government are not doing enough, then I wonder - in the case of parking schemes, which at present seemto be geared to discouraging shoppers to the high street, if we should look to contribute a sumof money per year to a trade organisation that would distribute these funds to independents that offer special events, where car parking can be refunded back to the consumer on a limited spend?


In effect, offering free parking at specific events in the ye r,ar, funded by suppliers who, in return, are promoted as supporting the high street.


I think these basic ideas should be


encouraged, as we need to get consumers to support the stores - and this would also help our own supplier investments thrive. High street store space is valuable, as is product development.


What’s


’s the biggest change you’ve seen since you joined the housewares industry? The decline in high street retailing is both obvious and alarming, and the speed of the digital sector has caughtmany by surprise. And I wond r,er, in the rest ofmy lifetime, whatmy own shopping experience will be like? Honestly, I really don’t know, and that bothersme.


What one change would you like to see in the housewares industry?


The Therm au Rouge red wine warmer is the first product CellarDine created, with over 2.2 million sold since its launch


September/October 2019


Having worked on both sides of the fence, this helpsme understand the full picture from


• HousewaresLive.net Houseware resLive.net twitter • r.com/Houseware m/ /H product idea to


space planning completion, to


retail and


gettingmoney in the till. Many of us talk about an open and transparent retail/supplier relationship and the need to work together.Mym concern is that


we are all ain


so under-resourced that the reality is thatmany of us don’t appear to have the time to follow


a pivotal point i The retail ind this through.


n terms of ustry is at


change, and our desire to retain our high street will depend on those close working relationships to produce the best


The Rouge 02 wine breather is CellarDine’s best-selling line


opportunities ofmaximising sales on both sides.


Spending vast sums ofmoney in creating new product innovation or investing huge funds on new store formats will be a complete waste ofmoney and time if we can’t drive the footfall into stores.


I would like to see a genuine programme set up or a platformto share ideas, as it’s in our collective interest to build a retail future for us to all enjoy.


What advice would you give to someone starting out in the housewares industry? I’ve always tried to operate in an honest and transparent way, working hard to create something innovative and useful.


When you invest your ownmoney in any product it really does focus yourmind on the attention to detail because whilst the upside is very positive, the downside is very


unforgiving. I’ve had some failures - and you will be let down fromtime to time - but at the end of the day, you have to take responsibility for your own decisions.


I’malways positive about the future but I’m alsomindful of the downside, and when you have a family to support, any negatives have an immediate effect on them.


My advice is to put the customer at the very top of your list; don’t promise what you can’t deliver; and, as a start-up: protect your cash position. Be very focused and financially disciplined, and be prepared to live without those luxuries that you thought were important but in reality are not. Lastly, be a good listener and try to enjoy the journey.


What do you do to relax?


I’mnot that good at relaxing as I’malways thinking of the next new project. Any spare tim that I have I enj playing squash


, walking the dog, visiting histor oy spending withmy family or


buildings or watchingManchester United play at Old Trafford.


twitter.com/Housewaresnewsresnews housewareslivlive.net | 19


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