PEOPLE 10 MINUTES WITH: JASON CADOGAN Head of Marketing of Local Merchant Group


What is your current role and how long have you been doing it?


My current role is Head of Marketing for Local Merchant Group looking after six brands: Gibbs & Dandy, Benchmark Building Supplies, Matthew Charlton, Chadwicks, Roger W Jones and Blackpool Power Tools. I’ve been doing the role since July 2021, which was the same month my first son Albert was born!


What does your role entail? The role is to oversee all Marketing activity across all the brands within the group. This includes local marketing to give the branches more brand awareness and visibility locally, customer entertainment to build solid relationship with our growing customer base and campaign management to gain new customers and increase the spend from our loyal customers.


How did you get started in this industry? I joined the industry back in January 2015 as a Digital Marketing apprentice within Benchmark Building Supplies who were bought out by Saint-Gobain in November 2016.


What roles were you doing before and how did they prepare you for this one? I’ve had a variety of roles, but they all had one common theme… Marketing. After less than a year into the role I moved from the central office into branch where I had


positions in the yard and on the sales counter to better understand the industry and people. From there I progressed to other roles within marketing working my way up the ladder. Each role gave me experience with people that included both customers and employees. Among the roles I have done are: ¡ Digital Marketing Apprentice ¡ Sales and Marketing ¡ Marketing Assistant ¡ Marketing Co-ordinator ¡ Marketing Executive ¡ Marketing Manager ¡ Head of Marketing


What would you like to achieve in this role?


I would like to get the department to a solid position where we are consistently making great ROI on marketing activities. The main goal is to have a fantastic relationship with the branches, customers and employees to leave my mark on the industry.


What has been the highlight of your career so far?


There are definitely several: Cycling 130 miles in day for the Benchmark Building Supplies charity raising thousands of pounds. Playing football at St Georges Park with branch representatives from all across the UK. Competing in The Chase Live final. Opening a range of successful branches in a competitive market.


What do you see as the main issues for builders merchants and for the construction industry at the moment? The price of materials over the last few years have skyrocketed making it more difficult for everybody.


If you could go back to the start of your career, what piece of advice would you give yourself?


Don’t run before you walk


Football, rugby, cycling, golf or gardening – which one’s more likely to keep you busy at the weekends?


Definitely football! Still waiting for an international call up…


If you’re at the bar – what are you drinking?


Has to be whiskey and coke. Jameson or Jack Daniels (Yes I know it’s not called as a whiskey)


If I was in a special mood, I’d get a pornstar martini.


What’s your favourite book? Favourite film?


We’re Going on a Bear Hunt Book by Michael Rosen and my go to film has to be Zoolander.


If you could be a superhero, what super-power would you choose? Telepathic – Knowledge is power. BMJ


ON THE MOVE


Klober has made three new key appointments: Pedro Ramos for the South East has spent the past six years managing the key accounts for a market leading spirit


company; Thomas Watts for Yorkshire and the North East brings unique experience from dealing with a major luxury watch brand; and Joe Haley for South Wales and South West, who joins with over three years sales’ experience in the electrical industry.


EPD Insulation Group has appointed Neil Farrow as marketing director. Formerly an engineer in the Royal Navy, Farrow’s background experience also covers strategy, creative, communications, journalism, video and events


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Three apprentices have joined Encon & Nevill Long – Dan Thompson, Josh Street and James Osborne – joined the ‘Warehouse to Wheels’ programme, which focuses on training and upskilling Warehouse


Operatives to fully licenced HGV Drivers. Rebecca Afonso embarked on the Sales Office Apprenticeship.


Tobermore has promoted three of its merchant sales managers to the role of key account manager. Lee Turner has been in the merchant sales team for five and a half years, and his new role covers the North of England, North


of Wales, and Scotland. Andy Tanner has been at Tobermore for three years, and will be key account manager for stockists in the South East and South West of England. Callum Smith has been with Tobermore for just over a year and will cover the Midlands and South Wales.


www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net August 2022


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