In October 2020, Sue Kemp was appointed to lead Associated independent Stores (AIS) into a new era of greater openness and relevance. In January's issue, Sue tells Furniture News how the buying group intends to helps its members and suppliers achieve success in 2023 and beyond …
In 1948, 20 family-owned department stores joined forces, giving them greater power to negotiate prices and the ability to share expertise and services.
Today, Associated Independent Stores (AIS) is the leading buying and services group in the UK and Ireland for home, fashion and leisure. Its membership boasts combined retail sales of £1.5b, and it has a global supplier partnership base that provides exclusive discounts and offers to drive profitability.
AIS says it offers “an unparalleled end-to-end member experience”, with easy access to support services including a central payment facility, buying and merchandising, and its own labels – while the buying group also curates the INDX trade shows across the furniture, homewares, flooring, beds and bedding sectors.
In 2020, coinciding with the retirement of Sheila Cooper and the creation of a new dedicated Furniture and Home division, AIS appointed Sue Kemp (ex-Merlin Entertainments, Marks & Spencer) as MD, signalling the start of a new era for a group looking to become “more commercial and customer focused”.
But what exactly does this transformational programme look like, and why was it implemented? Fifteen months on from her appointment, Furniture News asks Sue to explain how AIS is changing with the times …
Read the interview here.
