PEOPLE NEWS ON THE MOVE...
Andrew Livingston to join Howdens as CEO by end of the month Andrew Livingston joins Howdens as chief executive officer designate. Howden Joinery Group confirmed that Mr Livingston joined the company on January 29, following the retirement of founder and current CEO Matthew Ingle. Mr. Ingle, who built the retailer up over 22 years, stepped down before the end of the first half after handover period with Mr. Livingston, who was poached from larger rival Kingfisher’s Screwfix chain. Matthew Ingle said: “Howdens has a number of significant long- term opportunities ahead and I look forward to working with Andrew in helping take Howdens onto the next successful phase in its development.” Mr. Livingston joined Kingfisher in 2009, following stints as chief operating officer of Wyevale Garden Centres and as commercial director of kitchens and bathrooms at B&Q. Screwfix has been the sole driving force at Kingfisher in recent years,
last year, growing sales 23% to £1.3 billion – helped by the opening of 70 outlets in the UK and Germany.
Craig Castelino steps down from Bunnings UK & Ireland It has been announced that Bunnings general manager of merchandise Craig Castelino will step down from his role at Bunnings UK and Ireland. Bunnings Group managing director, Mike Schneider said: “Craig has made a significant contribution to the UK and Irish business over the last couple of years, and I’m delighted he will be taking a new senior leadership team role back with Bunnings Australia and New Zealand.” The announcement was made shortly after it
was revealed Bunnings UK MD Peter (PJ) Davis would take a three-month break to return to Australia. It has since been confirmed that Mr Davis has taken retirement. Speculation about the future of Bunnings in the UK has been rife this week. The Australlian DIY giant acquired Homebase for £340million in February 2016 and announced plans to invest £500million in rolling out a Warehouse proposition.
Daniel McAlpin joins the Glee team The team behind the leading UK garden retail trade show has recently been expanded with the recruitment of Daniel McAlpin. Mr McAlpin will be responsible for raising
awareness of Glee’s new dedicated pet sector – Pets @ Glee. His remit will include securing leading UK and international pet brands for the showcase, which aims to drive pets directly into the heart of the exhibition and help arm garden retailers with everything that they need to maximise profits of pet products and grooming services instore. Mr McAlpin’s role will also see him work to grow Glee’s Plants, and Landscaping and Garden Decoration sectors, and will be looking to bring both new and existing UK-based brands to these popular areas of the event. Finally, he will be overseeing the sponsorship and industry involvement with the Retail Lab at Glee throughout the 2018 campaign. Talking about his new appointment, Mr McAlpin said: “I’m excited to become part of the Glee team. The exhibition has a great reputation and I hope to be part of developing this even further. It’s also an exciting prospect to join Glee as the show embarks on another year of change as it relocates within the NEC and expands its added-value feature content. I look forward to seeing how the industry responds and interacts with these changes.”
John Colley returns to Kingfisher after seven years Kingfisher has welcomed John Colley back into the fold after seven years, appointing him as its group trading director.
A Kingfisher spokesperson commented: “John and his team will work with our Offer & Supply Chain organisation to support the local trading teams in creating their trading plans in each of our countries, while helping the business deliver one consistent proposition across our markets.” Mr Colley will report directly to Kingfisher CEO,
Véronique Laury. He was previously commercial director at Screwfix and then B&Q. Since then he has been the COO of Maxeda DIY Group, based in the Netherlands, managing director for Majestic Wine, and spent two months at Hobbycraft as CEO.
6 DIY WEEK 9 FEBRUARY 2018
10 minutes with... Neil Butterwick
Bathroom Takeaway’s newly-appointed supply chain & product manager
How did you get to where you are today? A mixture of hard work, learning from my mistakes and an element of fate! I started my career in the licensed trade working behind a bar in a village pub. This was my first real introduction to retail – at which point I became hooked. From working behind bars, I spent several years in the nightclub industry, and then went on to run a pub. This lead me into the licensed grocery business and then onto DIY. I spent 11 happy years with Focus DIY, starting off as a deputy manager in South Yorkshire and working my way up to being a senior member of the supply chain, heading the team that purchased everything, from screws and nails, to power tools and paint. Even though I was responsible for two of the largest categories in the business, I still wanted more therefore I went to work for Ryman The Stationer, where I was responsible for running the supply chain for the whole business. I then spent a couple of years in manufacturing and wholesale which ended in redundancy. It was only a few short weeks before I was given the opportunity to work for Bathroom Takeaway. I was immediately impressed with the current business, the plans for the future and the team that work here. back since.
I have not looked
How do you spend an average working day? The first part of the day is catching up with overnight communications from our China office alongside my supply chain manager. We identify and address any issues, as well as ensuring that the office have everything they need from us. This is followed by reviewing the previous days sales, it’s great to see the sales growing every day. The rest of the day is given up to reviewing emails, speaking to suppliers, checking in with our field sales team and our Manchester store as well as checking that there are no issues with the warehouse teams. I am also working with the team on our second store in the Birmingham area which is due to open very soon.
What’s the best advice you’ve been given? Enjoy the things that you get right but, more importantly, admit to your mistakes and learn from them.
Favourite memory/ anecdote from working in the industry? When I was deputy manager for Focus DIY, I sold a kitchen worktop to one of the Chuckle Brothers!
What are the biggest issues facing the industry today? Online traders who are reluctant to pay VAT and therefore undercut the genuine tax paying retailers in the market.
What do the next 12 months hold for the sector as a whole – are you optimistic or pessimistic?
I am very optimistic, you just have to look at our growth over the last two years to see that
there is plenty of activity in the industry.
What are your plans for your new role? My main objectives are to complete a full review of our current product ranges, manage the store roll-out program and continue to review our supply base and costs.
It has been reported that you will manage the rollout of 14 new Bathroom Takeaway stores, would you be able to tell us where some of the “strategic” locations you are looking at? We are looking in and around all of the major cities around the UK.
What would your colleagues be surprised to learn about you? I held a nightclub residency during the early nineties, specialising in Old Skool Dance music.
www.diyweek.net
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