Paul Groves has worked in the bed and furniture industry for 35 years, starting out at the age of 17 in his family business. He then became a sales representative for Myers Beds, and went on to become an independent sales agent, representing multiple manufacturers – helping retailers grow their business with the right products and support, and increasingly finding himself advising manufacturers on product development, marketing and growth strategies.
How might a child describe what you do?
Tries to help people sleep, but doesn’t do much of it himself!
What’s the biggest long-term challenge you face?
Staying relevant in a world that is slowly cutting me out. Customers can find a lot of suppliers online, contact them directly and negotiate without a middleman, which didn’t used to happen. It also seems that more manufacturers are now going direct to consumer, so the space for people like me is getting smaller.
If you had 10 x your working budget, what would you spend it on?
I’d stop trying to convince people to take risks, and just take them myself – create a bold and original brand built for how people actually shop now.
What would be the title of your autobiography?
The One That Got Away. I always wanted to work in music or football journalism, and wrote about both of them for my local newspaper when I was 16. Then I joined the family furniture business at 17 and that all stopped. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved but often wonder what the other path could have looked like.
What does ‘work/life balance’ mean to you?
Work hard, play hard (although at 52 it’s getting harder to do!).
Who’s been your most influential professional mentor?
Stuart Hibbert. He has a faith in you that makes you feel unbeatable, and he proves that you can be successful and have a laugh at the same time.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Be braver, don’t settle. Just because your dad liked the industry, doesn’t mean that you have to. It’s a big old world out there.
What’s been your best day in business to date?
The start of the Breasley journey was the best time I had – there were so many good days. Great product, great team and a great sales force. Everyone was pulling in the same direction and we broke records every year.
What’s the biggest myth about our industry?
That we are all on a level playing field. I’ve done this for nearly 30 years now and worked with a lot of companies along the way. Not all manufacturers operate with the same integrity as others, and are not playing by the same rules. Everyone talks about it, but nothing seems to change.
What should everyone in our industry either stop or start doing?
Stop greenwashing. If you are going to talk about sustainability then make sure it is real and not just a box-ticking exercise. Too many brands are using environmental language as a sales tactic without a great deal of substance.
Where do you see the industry going in the next 5-10 years?
On the retail side, the mid-large size, family-owned businesses will make it through and continue to grow stronger. I talk to lot of smaller retailers who are fast-tracking retirement or just looking to call it a day. Online will continue to dominate, but the way we consume will change – also, there will be more D2C trading, so it will be hard to compete.
The industry needs a change, and I’m looking forward to waving goodbye to the old, stuffy way of doing things. What comes next should be bolder and braver. I think it’s long overdue.
What question do you wish we’d asked? How would you have answered?
Q: What do the next 5-10 years hold for you?
A: I’d like to prove that you can do it differently. Be disruptive and creative, but build an honest brand that does good things at the same time. I’d bring more young people into this industry with new ideas and approaches, and leave something behind that challenges the current norm so that my time in this industry isn’t wasted.
This interview was published in November's issue.
