It’s been a busy couple of years for AMES UK following the acquisitions of La Hacienda and Kelkay, and now the more recent news that Antony Harker has stepped down as AMES UK Managing Director. We caught up with Richard Slade (above) of AMES UK to ask him about the changes and the latest happenings within the business.

With Antony stepping back, you have taken on a new role within the business?

Yes, I was delighted to be asked to take on the role of General Manager for Kelkay, which means on all the day to day operational issues, the buck stops with me. I am also supporting our La Hacienda and True Temper businesses.

How has your past experience qualified you for this new role?

I’ve had many years of experience, formerly with Aggregate Industries where I was General Manager with responsibility for the Borderstone and Aggregate Supplies business and since 2015 I’ve been a Director at Kelkay. More recently I stepped up to be Operations Director for the whole of AMES UK, so this latest move is a logical progression for me. I am fortunate to have had many years’ experience in the UK marketplace and have built a very thorough understanding of the Kelkay operation, and the other businesses within the AMES UK family.

What role do the AMES management team play in the UK business?

One of the key reasons for AMES’ success throughout the world is due to their philosophy of investing in strong local managers and providing them the responsibility and autonomy to make the best decisions for their local market.  We are fortunate to have a local management team here at AMES UK that consists of several very experienced professionals with highly relevant experience in this market. So, we have a great dynamic with the wider AMES management team – they empower us to run the business from a day to day perspective, but they are also there to support us with the bigger business decisions.

So, who is driving the business forward now?

I’m supported by some very familiar faces who are well known in the UK garden and leisure sector. Richard Pyrah is our Sales Director and does a brilliant job in providing leadership to our substantial sales team.  Sarah Winn is also a key member of our leadership team here at AMES, and leads our Marketing and Product departments.  Sarah was formerly the Marketing Director at Gardman before joining us in 2017.  We have also recently made a new appointment to the senior leadership team, with Matt Wilson joining us in the role of Finance Director earlier this year.  Matt brings a wealth of experience in relation to Finance, human resources and governance issues and has already proved to be a great new addition to the team.

How has Antony stepping back changed the business?

Antony founded the Kelkay business, so of course, the business is a little different when he’s not here every-day.  However, Antony did a great job developing the team and creating an efficient business that runs with good systems and processes.  They say the true test of a leader is in what they leave behind, so it’s a credit to Antony that the business is in excellent condition and performing very well.

Will AMES UK appoint a new replacement managing director from their own business?

No, we are currently recruiting for a new Managing Director and the new appointment will be someone that comes with a thorough knowledge of the UK retail market.  The experience is very important, but we are also focused on finding someone that fits the culture of our business and industry, and shares the same values we do.  This will be an exciting role for someone who is looking to lead some strong, established businesses with a passion for providing great service and delivering solutions for our customers.  We expect to make this appointment within the next few months.

What changes should we expect to see in the future?

We are proud to say that the businesses within the AMES UK family are all good businesses, so there isn’t a burning need to make a lot of changes.  So, our number one priority is ensuring that we continue to meet and exceed our customer’s expectations by providing high levels of customer service.  We are also focused on finding innovative ways to create value for our customers.  One of the ways we can do that is by leveraging the wide array of new product opportunities that exists within the global AMES business, and bringing them to market in a way that makes sense for UK consumers.

How are AMES investing in the UK business and what impact is this having?

Some of the early impacts of AMES’ investment was evident at Glee, including new brands, packaging and merchandising for garden décor and aggregates for example. Right now, we are working on some in-depth research in other categories, the results of which should be evident by Glee 2020. Behind the scenes, AMES have facilitated a major investment in one of our manufacturing and logistics sites which will significantly grow our capacity to meet increased demand, in a safe and efficient manner. AMES have also supported the implementation of several IT and management projects to make working across our multiple sites more effective.  And of course with the very recent announcement of the acquisition of APTA, AMES have further demonstrated their commitment to the UK and an intention to continue expanding into new categories. We could not have embarked on any of these projects without the support of AMES.

How will the most recent acquisition of APTA affect your plans?

For the immediate future the businesses will continue to operate independently. We don’t want to disrupt the day to day service by distracting the management teams with a complex integration programme. Paul Sykes will continue in his role running the team down at APTA, and of course he and I will be looking for practical synergies and ways we can work together.