ROBERTS: OWEN WATTERS THE ERT INTERVIEW
In 1932 Roberts Radio was founded by good friends Harry Roberts and Leslie Bidmead
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have a desire to look at adjacent categories too. We are looking at understanding how consumers are listening these days through all kinds of devices and we want to build that functionality into a number of different solutions. Some of which will be straightforward portable radios, some will look like sound systems, and others will look like something in between.
Q: One of main USPs of the Roberts brand is arguably its own name. Do you think that still translates across to consumers in today’s marketplace? OW: So while the business may have changed and the market may have changed, one of the reassuring things for us is that the product hasn’t changed and it’s still as good as it always has been, and that’s our connection with the end user. We have a policy and a strategy of continuous improvement, so right
The Roberts Rambler dates back to the early 1970s and has been loved ever since
now we are pushing product back into the right arenas and these will easily rival anything similar on the market.
One other big thing for Roberts is making our
products as sustainable as possible, whether it’s the packaging, the actual components, or the external materials, and that goes from the flagship Revival range right through to our entry-level analogue radio. We are very proud to have been granted two Royal Warrants as a manufacturer and supplier
“We will have the world’s best sounding digital radio, bar none; to even call it a radio is a bit dismissive really – it’s a sound system!”
King George VI and The Queen Mother had a Roberts Radio
of radio receivers to Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth and The Prince of Wales; as part of this we have always been challenged to be as sustainable as possible across the whole company, so it’s become part of our DNA.
Q: Do you think more needs to be done, not only by CE manufacturers but more generally in this industry, to be greener? OW: Unquestionably yes. You’ve only got to look at the news any day of the week and you’ll see more changes to our climate, and we are all culpable. That’s the harsh reality. So whether it’s economically viable or not, we’ve all got to do more.
Obviously Roberts operates in an industry
where we are all shipping product around the world every single day, so we need to optimise the supply chain and get our business processes more accurate so we’re not moving big boxes around as regularly as we do. All these actions in isolation are relatively small, but the combination of everyone being more efficient would certainly have quite a profound effect. As the saying goes, ‘every little helps’.
Q: Undoubtedly Roberts has become quite famous for its designs and colours over the years; that must be a lot to live up to when it comes to your product development? OW: It is vitally important, definitely. You innovate or you evaporate. The key differentiators for any brand are often design and price; we have no desire to join the price spiral to the bottom, so design is the focus for us. The Revival is probably the best example; its aesthetic is iconic, and we make no apologies for the fact that we’ve got such a broad range of colour options and limited edition designs. We’ve got a few ideas to
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