ROBERTS: OWEN WATTERS THE ERT INTERVIEW
passion for the brand; it’s something that I have history with, so it was more than a job and it never really left me.” Mr Watters said he thoroughly enjoyed his
14 Back in the saddle
“It does feel like coming home,” Owen Watters tells ERT upon his return as CEO of Roberts Radio. “In some ways, it was the easiest decision I’ve ever made.” He tells Jack Cheeseman about his plans to reignite people’s passion for radio by re-engaging the Roberts brand with the independent retail trade.
E arlier this year, Roberts Radio
announced that Owen Watters was returning to the company as CEO. He previously worked for the iconic British audio brand for 14 years – six of which
as CEO – before leaving in June 2019 to take up the role of Managing Director at Hama UK. Upon his return, Mr Watters said that more and more consumers are tuning into their radios – with podcasts and streaming services extending the appeal – and now is the right time for Roberts to “get radio back on the agenda”.
He said he plans to build on the company’s
strong connections with traditional and independent retailers and premium high street locations, to champion the benefits of in- person shopping with the expert advice and unique services on offer. When Mr Watters sat down for this interview
with ERT shortly after he restarted at Roberts, we asked him what made him come back… “In some ways, it was the easiest decision I’ve ever made, and in other ways it was probably the toughest,” he said. “It’s my
time at Hama and he learnt a lot, but the focus for the brand was quite different and often came down to price… “Thankfully that’s not the case at Roberts; it’s a brand with very clear values and attributes that were more difficult to replicate at Hama. For me it just reiterated how important brands are.” Part of reinvigorating the Roberts brand with electrical retailers, according to Mr Watters, involves continued product development – something that certainly hasn’t taken a backseat while he was away. The crown jewels in the range is undoubtedly the retro-styled Revival; in recent years not only have new designs been introduced, but the components and compatibility have been improved to include more streaming services. Roberts has also introduced a new ‘warmer’ aesthetic to its radios using sustainable fabrics, eliminating virgin plastic and coming in new, complementary colourways. The new Play 11 and Play FM showcase the new look. This continues into the new clock radios too, designed to accompany typical bedroom settings with a much softer look and feel than many familiar products. And then there’s the Beacon Bluetooth speaker; this was the brand’s first real foray into the Bluetooth sector back in 2020 with the launch of the 330 and 320 models. Mr Watters said Roberts has enjoyed great success with this product over the last couple of years.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
