2009/2010 - The Industry Review and Preview - Steve Rawlins, Anglia

Top industry executives set aside their holiday shopping when the Disti Blog questions landed on their desks so we can all learn about their views on just how bad it was in 2009 and whether there are any portents for fairer climes in 2010. I'll keep these on top of the posts right through the holiday until the New Year so you can dip in and out if you don't fancy reading them all in one go.

 

Steve Rawlins, Chief Executive Officer, Anglia

 

Review 2009 for us. As awful as it looked or not as bad as painted?

It was as awful as it looked. It is the toughest year I’ve seen in over 30 years in the business.

How do you view prospects for 2010? Do you foresee any hurdles to the potential growth next year e.g. a double dip recession, lengthening lead times

2010 should be an exciting year for us. We’ve won some very exciting new lines, and have undertaken significant design in effort during the downturn, and we are reaping the rewards. Our order book is the strongest it has ever been. The major potential downside is allocation. We’ve got a strong stock profile and a healthy goods inwards pipeline, but if lead-times push out that will still impact our ability to fulfill demand.

What would make life easier in 2010?

Consistent and stable lead-times that give us the opportunity to offer our customers consistent and stable supply

What will make 2010 exciting for your company?

In this market there is a great opportunity for Anglia as the major UK-based stock holding distributor. We’re in discussion with more franchises, and as a result of the lines we’ve won we’re getting into customers that we have never dealt with before. I’m very optimistic about the coming year.