Each Friday, Furniture News puts five questions to a selected industry professional to explore their background and approach to business. Today, it's the turn of Ashleigh Pell, general manager for PD Global …
How did you get into the trade?
I was appointed general manager of Coach House Antiques in 1990, and moved to PD Global in 1997.
How will the industry evolve?
I think the cyclical nature of design and fashion will take us back to the more traditional offerings, following the recent years of contemporary designs. Our customers have repeatedly reported that the clinical look and feel of leather, glass and chrome has run its course.
How can retailers increase sales and profitability?
The smart ones are addressing their own buying habits by diversifying and investing in greater variety of product. The retailers that I see simply treading water are those that are set in their ways and unwilling to venture into uncharted product territory.
Our business flourishes on variety, and whilst a wider portfolio can only be supported by increased investment, the captive audience widens exponentially.
"Display, display, display is the key"
What can retailers do to improve their marketing strategy?
You may consider I’m stating the obvious, but display, display, display is the key. Often requiring a woman’s touch, it is an area so many retailers fail on.
Bright, busy and imaginative theatre with regular updates of presentation and window displays require serious commitment and hard work. Too many retailers rest on their laurels and don’t generate public aspiration.
What brings a smile to your face in this industry?
I feel it’s a privilege to be subjected to a daily diet of a visual feast. There’s no room for grey minds and grey suits – members of this industry are invariably blessed with a penchant for art, design and fashion, and their wares are generally stimulating and fun. I feel sorry for all the poor sods who have to sell insurance or stocks and shares for a living!
This is an extract from an article published previously in Furniture News magazine. For more stories like this, you can subscribe to receive a regular physical copy of the magazine, or to have a free digital issue delivered to your inbox each month.
