Stoves Special 2020 ertonline.co.uk


Memories of Stoves


Peter Heaps, Returns Co-ordinator “I


started my career with


Stoves in 1975 on its excellent apprenticeship scheme, fi rst working in the enamel shop then moving on to the assembly line before working my way up to supervisor. In 2002, I left the factory fl oor and made the switch to the offi ce to manage product returns. One of my favourite Stoves products was one


8


of our fi res – the Gasglo – which was launched in the late ‘70s. It was a portable fi re on wheels and was so popular we used to open the factory on a Saturday for sales. People would queue in the street to get their hands on one! I also loved the mid-nineties when we had the wonderful Keith Floyd as the ambassador for the Stoves brand. He was regularly seen on the factory fl oor cooking and drinking wine. Today’s health and safety would never allow it!”


Dave Pearce, Manufacturing Support Manager


“My career with Stoves started in 1990. I was keen to start an apprenticeship and my friend told me that he’d recently started one with Stoves, but he was adamant that the course was full and already seven weeks in. I was young and confi dent and this was something I was passionate about, so I refused to give in. I turned up at the Stoves site and presented myself to the apprenticeship course leaders for work; they turned me away, but I badgered them into giving me something to do. In the end they gave me some metal to fi le to keep me busy… and 30 years later I’m still here! Within four years I became the youngest supervisor in the history of the business. Since then I’ve continued


to progress to Manufacturing Support Manager and I’ve had the opportunity to travel the world and had the honour of showing several VIP guests around our factory – including His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent.”


Steve Scogings, Chairman of CIH & MD of Stellisons


“Stellisons has been a proud stockist of Stoves products for more than 20 years. The brand has consistently had a great range of products with the added benefi t of a supportive sales team and great aftercare.


I’ve always enjoyed a great working


relationship with the Stoves team, who inject some fun into industry events, ensuring nobody goes to bed early! The new gas-thru-glass range cooker collection is really innovative and a big hit with consumers.”


Steve Woods, Managing Director, Built-in Kitchen Appliances


“We have worked with the Stoves brand very successfully for the last 25 years and I would describe Stoves more as a partner than a supplier. As a fellow Merseyside business, we have found them to be extremely supportive and they’ve been a great ally in growing our business over the years. Many of the Stoves Area Sales Managers we have worked with have gone on to become great personal friends. We are currently enjoying real success with Stoves’ gas built-in ovens. They do very well for us in our showroom.”


Mark Davison, Managing Director, Glen Dimplex Home Appliances


“Given Stoves has been around for 100 years, I’m a relative newcomer to the Stoves brand but a long-term admirer. It’s rare to have a brand in our fast-moving market that has such a rich heritage and an impressive back catalogue of innovations and fi rsts.


Stoves is a wonderful brand that combines beautiful designs with class-leading technology and my role as its new custodian is to stay true to those values and to ensure the brand continues to grow and fl ourish. Myself and the rest of the Stoves team are working hard to develop the brand, investing in consumer marketing across print and digital and exploring new sales channels both at home and abroad.”


Phil Moxon, Mobile Service Engineer


“I joined Stoves in 1974 when the company was owned by the Valor brand and I’ve witnessed a number of changes. The most exciting time in my career was the late eighties to the early noughties, which saw us release an unprecedented number of new products from built-in ovens to range cookers. My favourite Stoves product was the Customised Range. It was a revolutionary product which allowed the customer to choose everything about their range cooker, from the door fi nish to the handles and knobs. The concept was way ahead of its time.”


Robin Van Rozen, Chief Executive, Glen Dimplex Consumer Appliances


“Stoves is one of the real highlights of our family of consumer brands. Its rich heritage and always-evolving product suite has ensured it remains a


major player in the domestic


appliance market. I think a major contributor to its longevity has been that the team remains committed to understanding consumer needs and matching that to the development of a high-quality product.


The launch of the Stoves Deluxe range cooker collection demonstrated that the team is fl eet of foot and able to adapt to changing consumer demographics, sector


and introducing


taking a traditional Bluetooth


connectivity and innovations.”


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