Tough times see a return to core business
Jul 23 2008 by Alastair Houghton, Liverpool Daily Post
Glen Dimplex Home Appliances boss Denver Hewlett (200)
Alistair Houghton meets DENVER HEWLETT, head of Glen Dimplex Home Appliances
“It’s tough,” he said. “There’s pressure coming everywhere – material prices in terms of steel, energy prices, and transport costs. Everything we sell has to be delivered by lorry.
“Consumer confidence is not great – that’s an understatement.
“One new thing that is affecting us is the lower number of housing completions. When people move houses, they generally buy new appliances If they’re not moving, they don’t tend to buy.
“But lots of markets are talking themselves into doom and gloom.
“We’ve got to remember as a business that loads of appliances are being sold every day and people are still buying. It’s up to businesses like us to get our fair share of those sales.”
GDHA has a turnover of £150m and employs 1,200 people in the UK. The Prescot plant, complete with huge enamelling ovens, robotic production lines making oven cavities and a customer call centre, employs 950 people.
Hewlett says the quality of GDHA’s customer care team is recognised throughout the industry.
Insurer Domestic and General carries out an annual survey of customer care operations and GDHA’s customer care team has come top in its category for three years in a row.
Hewlett is keen to expand the division to ensue GDHA can keep up that standard.
“The whole industry has raised its game,” he said. “It’s operating to a much higher level of customer care.”
Hewlett also wants to develop GDHA’s engineering and repair services. The company already has 150 engineers on the road, and Hewlett hopes to take on more.
In the UK, GDHA has also teamed up with the Women’s Institute to launch a campaign to encourage more people to cook at home.
