Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
The next retailer networking forum organised by BHETA (British Home Enhancement Trade Association) will feature Fenwick director of buying for furniture, home and food Kieran McBride.
BHETA said: ‘After a year of much change at the independent department store chain, Kieran will be bringing our members up to speed on the status of new projects and how suppliers can support future developments and further establish trading relationships.’
Fenwick is headquartered at Newcastle upon Tyne and operates eight stores across the country.
Other speakers at the forum are Dan Black, co-founder and lead designer of housewares supplier Black + Blum, who will talk about sustainable product design and the challenges faced by designers; and Phil Pond, director of trend forecasting company Scarlet Opus, who will provide insights into the issue of sustainability and eco-friendly goods and how advances in technology have led to innovation in manufacturing processes, material recovery possibilities and product design.
BHETA chief operating officer Will Jones commented: “Retailing continues to move fast, driven by the evolution of different shopping habits, attitudes and beliefs at macro level and ever more advanced technology.
“This forum will provide BHETA members with a unique insight into the opportunities for trading with a particularly established and well-loved department store. It will also disseminate invaluable foreknowledge of the styling, trend and consumer thinking-led opportunities to look out for, applicable to any party looking to develop this route to market.”
The event will be held at BHETA HQ at Vyse Street in Birmingham on October 31, with registration at 9.30 am. Refreshments will be provided including a networking lunch.
To register interest in attending, email BHETA member services manager Nicola Adams Brown at nab@bheta.co.uk.
