Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Suppliers Amefa and Alan Silverwood have thrown their weight behind the attempt to scupper the merger of BHETA with BJGF.
Yesterday, CAT Enterprises managing director Charles Harrison told HousewaresLive.net that The British Home Enhancement Trade Association’s imminent merger with the British Jewellery, Giftware & Finishing Federation would be “a disaster”.
He now wants BHETA to be wound up and to see the formation of a new association to safeguard specifically the interests of housewares members.
This morning, Amefa managing director Martin Russell told HousewaresLive.net: “We at Amefa are fully behind that stance. Our industry is changing, our retailers are changing, and we need a federation that not only recognises those changes but interacts with everyone in the industry to actively promote change – but to the benefit of the housewares industry.”
Russell voiced his concern about the proposed merger at the time it was announced, saying that his overriding concern was “the possible loss of focus in these challenging times we may experience through this partnership.
“What our industry requires is to keep housewares clearly in the spotlight, and to generate a close connection with our industry association, I don’t believe joining with a federation relating to jewellery and giftwares gives us that closeness and concentration on matters we require in the housewares sector.”
He now says that the recent resignation of BHETA housewares director Pam Plant “would further echo those concerns. We have notified Charles of that support, so that is one less member he is now in search of.”
Meanwhile, Alan Silverwood’s managing director Simon Silverwood also says that Charles Harrison has his “wholehearted support”. In a comment posted on yesterday’s story on HousewaresLive.net he says: “The proposed merger with BJGF must inevitably lead to a dilution of focus for the core housewares sector of the association.”
Read Simon Silverwood’s full comment at https://housewareslive.net/news/news.asp?id=5723&title=%27Form+new+housewares+association+before+BHETA+merger+disaster%27
and let the industry know what you think by posting your own comment.
