As Blum UK’s new management team settle into their roles, Nicola Hanley talks to new sales director Ben Cullum about how the fittings manufacturer is looking to grow and adapt.
Change has been afoot at Blum UK over the last few months. Following the announcement in July that longstanding MD Mark Richardson was retiring and sales & marketing director David Sanders was taking on an international role, a new management team has taken over. It’s headed up by former technical manager Matthew Glanfield, who is now MD of the UK subsidiary, with the role of sales director going to Ben Cullum, who has worked for the brand for over a decade. They have been joined on the team by Ben Muirhead, head of business development & national sales manager; Ina Kacenaite, head of HR & development; and Matthew Walmsley, head of sales controlling & international exchange.
So how is everyone adjusting to their new roles? “Everybody is understandably getting used to the change and we’re excited about this new step in our journey,” says Cullum. “We’re building on what has been an incredibly successful leadership of Blum UK through Mark Richardson and David Sanders and so we’re inheriting a very sound and successful brand in the UK. It’s an honour and privilege to be part of that development.”
With the business more complex than ever before, the expansion and development of the management team, which has gone from 2 to 5 people, is good news for customers, says Cullum. "The focus is to bring expertise and a wider level of resource to our customers where needed. So if anything, there should be even more support for our customers. That’s the plan,” he says. “Now there are 5 individuals bringing a lot of different skill sets into that area whereas in the past you had 2 people. It’s a more complex world now and we’re trying to meet the challenges of the future by having a wider, broader team.”
Cullum says his first priority has been to ensure customers haven’t felt any difference in their day-today experiences with Blum UK. “We don’t want customers to feel the operation has skipped a beat. This is an evolution and not a revolution. We’re absolutely not changing the core of who we are as a business and a brand. However, we continue to look at how we need to adapt, grow and change for the future as a business with the different market needs and conditions in what is 2024.”
While functionality is, and always will be, key to Blum’s offering, there is a global move to become increasingly service-driven and solution-focussed. “Blum is striving to be as close as possible to the customer and to meet their needs in 2024 and beyond by being not just a hardware supplier but a solutions provider,” says Cullum. “Part of our ethos is understanding our partners’ needs and helping them to generate inspiration for their customers and answer problems that the consumer doesn’t yet know they have.”
Space, he points out, has become a hot topic and Blum is committed to helping consumers get more out of what they have. "We’ve always been known for quality and our engineering expertise, but increasingly people are experiencing the value of Blum by interacting with us on how we can support and create more inspirational spaces for the future.”
One way in which it is looking to do that is through its new floor-to-ceiling pocket doors, which are fresh in the market. “It’s really exciting to be able to create more flexible, dynamic spaces within the home and potentially offset some of the cost implications of having a living room that can turn into a kitchen.”
More new innovations will be unveiled at Interzum in Cologne next year. But, says Cullum, as the average consumer hasn’t fully experienced the extent of Blum’s current solutions, it is looking to launch more consumer campaigns in the UK. “We’re really excited to talk about things such as our AVENTOS top lift system. We’re launching a campaign next year as we don’t think the consumer has fully understood the benefits yet of more ergonomic living spaces.”
The company is also looking to promote its whole-house solutions. “One of Blum’s focuses over the future is living spaces rather than just kitchens. I talk about inspiration a lot and I have to say social media does support that. It is an exciting new world and there are new ways to connect but it needs time and energy.”
