NEWS Dobbies strengthens leadership team


Dobbies three


has senior announced appointments,


strengthening its team as it continues to develop its platform for growth. Richard Hodges is appointed as Dobbies’ Commercial Director. He joins from Sainsbury’s where he was Head of UK Wholesale and International Growth. Richard will take responsibility for all trading, as well as leading the rollout of the company’s small store format, little dobbies, and growth plans for the dobbies. com website. John Dunning is appointed as Dobbies’ Restaurant Director.


He was most recently at Bourne Leisure, where he was Food and Beverage Director for Butlins. Tim Hollis is appointed as Dobbies’ Head of Buying. He was most recently Head of Buying for the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). Holding a key role within Richard’s team, Tim will lead the buying team and be responsible for buying across all categories. Graeme


CEO, said: “Richard, John and Tim bring outstanding experience from the retail, hospitality and horticulture worlds. They will be instrumental in helping continue with our growth plan.”


John Dunning Jenkins, Dobbies’ Richard Hodges Richard Hodges, Commercial


Director, said: “Dobbies is the UK’s leading garden centre business – I’m looking forward to playing a major role in the next stage of the company’s growth.” John Dunning, Restaurant Director, said: “Dobbies has


Southern Trident appoints new Digital and E-Commerce Manager


Southern Trident has


announced the appointment of a new Digital and E-Commerce Manager. Alistair Williams has joined the company to help develop, lead and manage all the commercial and marketing activities of the company’s online networks. Williams brings a huge amount of knowledge about the digital world, and his expertise will help to continue to grow and establish Southern Trident as a leading player in the gardening market. He has been working with all things digital his entire career. He started by kicking off pioneering and innovative online marketing campaigns and partnerships with international virtual social network Habbo Hotel. He created media first partnerships with the music industry, which saw the introduction of A-list stars like


Faithless and Ozzy Osbourne. He has also worked closely with The Commission of Information (COI) to introduce drugs, HPV vaccine and sexual health information into the teenage-focused social networks, the first foray into social media by the UK government. Williams


said: “I’m


excited to join a company having the same sustainable and environmental ethos as I do. The time is now to resolve our carbon emissions and it’s awesome to work with a company who lives and breathes this goal. I want to help develop an online community around these principles, while championing the use of coconut coir and in particular our peat- free composts. I firmly believe using sustainable materials, like coconut, has a massive role in combatting climate change.” Steve Harper, Southern Trident


CEO, said: “This is a critical


role for us as we continue to expand as a company, and it will strengthen our focus on the web- based side of our business while also


really


improving our consumer engagement via social media and in other digital areas. As well as developing, leading and managing all our commercial and marketing activities, he will develop and implement innovative, growth- focused sales, marketing and a consumer loyalty strategy in the digital space. This will ensure that our profitable business growth is accelerated and that we achieve commercial success in both direct web and third-party marketplace networks. This is not only great for us, but also a very positive move for our network of retailers and other partners.”


Travis Perkins partners with Eastleigh College to provide traineeships for young adults


Perkins providing up to 300 annual traineeships across England for 19-24 year old learners who are connected to the College from January 2022.


Eastleigh will deliver specialist


Travis Perkins plc has launched a new partnership with Eastleigh College in Hampshire to provide traineeship opportunities for learners and help more young people into work.


This partnership is the first one of its kind in the further education sector, and will involve Travis


www.diyweek.net


training, English and maths skills to every trainee, whilst Travis Perkins will provide workplace preparation and placements that cover a range of different areas of the business, including yards, warehouses, branches, tool hire, administration and sales. In addition to practical skills, comprehensive


the preparation. training


schedule will include health and safety training, CV writing and interview


Through


Eastleigh College each trainee will also be supported by a dedicated Traineeship Coach via webinars and one-to-one sessions, to help


ensure learners are well prepared to progress into full employment within the Travis Perkins group. “The breadth of our businesses and our track record for training and development combined with the strong family values and commitment we have to our local communities, mean we have a strong offering for the traineeship candidates here at Travis Perkins,” explained Travis Perkins plc’s Chief HR Officer, Emma Rose. “Our


programmes and Kickstarter placements support economic


recovery and are


extremely successful, both for the young people who want to expand their knowledge and capabilities, and for us as an employer who is investing in the next generation workforce.”


apprenticeship the


Tim Hollis


always been a great place for food – I am looking forward to helping improve the restaurant offer for our customers.” Tim Hollis, Head of Buying, said: “Dobbies is continually striving to offer customers the best product ranges and I’m


motivated by the opportunity to drive the business forward. I’ll ensure we continue to build on Dobbies’ sustainability commitments, taking our green credentials to the next level.” Andrew Bracey, Dobbies’ Chairman, said: “As we grow Dobbies organically and by acquisition we are always trying to improve what we offer our customers. By strengthening the team, we will be more able to do this and continue to improve on our outstanding customer experience.”


a string


The appointments follow of developments this


year for Dobbies, including the launch of four little dobbies and the acquisition of a new garden centre in Boston.


Simon Acres Media launches new


website and dedicated studio The media division of Simon Acres Group has launched a dedicated website and filming studio in response to growing demand from KBB retailers, suppliers, manufacturers and merchants for its services. The division, which is led by group Marketing


Director Kordian Pach, offers video films, photography and websites to KBB businesses looking for affordable professional services to help promote their brands. The new website highlights the benefits of working with Kordian’s


creative and technical team to create marketing material that represents a company’s ethos, and builds trust with audiences. The dedicated film studio incorporates the latest equipment to allow for the filming of customer testimonials, information videos and corporate films. The team can also travel to film on location, returning to the studio for editing. Kordian said, “I am delighted that we now have our own dedicated state of the art facilities alongside the new website. “Video is a highly effective form of content and its popularity has gone hand-in-hand with the rise of social media. It is one of the most effective forms of marketing, with consumers now watching more videos than ever before.


“Recent figures suggest that the average person will spend 100


minutes every day watching online videos in 2021. This is a 19% increase compared to daily viewing minutes in 2019, which stood at 84.” The new website can be found at www.simonacres.media


New Showroom Manager for leading tile specialist


Leading tile specialist, Ceramique Internationale, has expanded its experienced team with the appointment of a new manager for its Leeds- based Tiles and Mosaics showroom. Francesca Cornforth, 27, brings a wealth of experience to the team having previously worked as a design and sales consultant for a number of


prominent ceramic tile brands. Most recently she was the Assistant Manager of Porcelanosa in Leeds. At Tiles and Mosaics Francesca will be responsible for the day to day running of the 4500 sq ft showroom, providing advice and support to customers in person, on-line and over the phone. Francesca said: “This opportunity was too good for me to turn down.


In my previous role I was selling one brand but now I have the opportunity to work with some of the biggest and best tile manufacturers from Italy, Spain and across Europe. I’m very much looking forward to helping our customers to source the perfect tiles for their projects.” Cameron Fraser, Director of Ceramique Internationale, said: “Francesca is a fabulous addition to our team at Tiles and Mosaics. She has design flair and plenty of experience in the sector and we are sure she is going to be a great hit with our customers. The showroom has been busier than ever since re-opening post-pandemic and we’re sure she will contribute to that continued success.”


NOVEMBER 2021 DIY WEEK 7


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