Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
British tableware manufacturer Portmeirion Group has appointed a new UK head of sales, following last month’s announcement that revenues have continued to increase for a record sixth year.
Warren Gell, 36, joins the Stoke-on-Trent based business, following eight years with British bakeware manufacturer George Wilkinson. In his new role, Warren will lead all UK sales activities across the Group’s portfolio of brands: Portmeirion, Spode, Royal Worcester and Pimpernel.
Commenting on his appointment, Warren said: “I’m delighted to join Portmeirion Group at what is a very exciting time for the business. Recent sales figures speak for themselves and I can’t think of a British manufacturing company that is experiencing such strong, sustained growth across both its domestic and international markets. I’m looking forward to working with the Group’s talented sales team to ensure that we continue to facilitate this expansion into 2015 and beyond. The tableware and giftware market is booming and we are at the very forefront of the industry’s current renaissance.”
He added: “There are a huge number of opportunities for Portmeirion Group. We’ve already set the bar very high in 2015, with the launch of the highly anticipated Ted Baker Portmeirion range, which has already received some fantastic feedback from the industry. We’re expecting demand to be very high from our retail customers who want to take advantage of this unique brand partnership which offers a real first for UK customers.
“Portmeirion Group is a well-recognised brand with a strong and loyal customer base across the UK. It’s therefore important that we continue to nurture those relationships with our existing customers by listening to what they have to say. This will allow us to build on our well established reputation and success within this highly competitive market.”
Commenting on Warren’s appointment, Phil Atherton, group sales and marketing director at Portmeirion Group, said: “Warren is a fantastic addition to the Portmeirion Group team and we wholeheartedly welcome him on board. He brings with him a wealth of industry experience and will certainly play a key role in helping to define the direction of the business, not only in regard to ensuring we continue to innovate in the tableware sector, but also with a view to extending the group’s presence into other complementary categories.”
Portmeirion Group recently invested £1.5 million in a new kiln and is looking to create 30 new jobs this year.
