The KBB sector’s recruitment and training champions Simon Acres Group are well known throughout the industry with a dynamic team that seems to bring energy and enthusiasm to every industry event and gathering.
Installer’s Andy Bishop had a chat with the man who leads the team forwards, Mr Simon Acres:
Q: Hello Simon, thanks for making time to chat today. Let’s start with how you first became involved in the KBB Business
Simon: “Let’s start with ‘business’ and come to the KBB part in a minute. While most kids were washing neighbours’ cars, mowing lawns or delivering newspapers, I developed a business while still at school breeding and selling tropical fish. In hindsight, I know it was only a small thing, but I remember at the time thinking that I wanted to work for myself and besides, I was earning considerably more pocket money than any of my schoolfriends and considered myself to be quite the entrepreneur. The large tropical fish tank in our office is there for the relaxing environment it creates, but of course, it always takes me back to that exciting time in my younger life.”
Q: And then of course you grew up
Simon: “I did. When it comes to kitchens and bathrooms, like many, working in this business wasn’t something I had planned, it just kind of happened. After leaving college I joined John Lewis as a management trainee and after a while found myself seconded to departments such as kitchen and bathrooms accessories. I loved the kitchen and bathroom products, they were generally big-ticket items from brands like Miller from Sweden, Alno, Taylor + Penton and Showerlux and they reflected the creative side of home interiors. John Lewis was a great company to work for, treated their staff really well and made me realise the importance of good training.
“After a while, I developed a passion for sales and while happy and pretty successful there, I spoke regularly to kitchen company Area Sales Managers who visited the store. It was these Sales Managers who gave me the idea of progressing in the kitchens business and eventually, I took the plunge and via a recruitment company in London landed a job with PJH Group as their youngest-ever sales rep (with a company car!) I worked hard and got promoted a few times before being headhunted by Omega plc where I stayed for 20 years ending up as Group Sales Director.”
Q: I remember you were also involved in the KBSA at one point
Simon: “I was indeed, I spent 10 years representing the KBSA as Retail Corporate Chairman to help grow the association’s retail membership. This was a fantastic experience and a great way to understand the retail kitchen business as a whole and to meet many amazing people who drive the business forward.”
Q: And then you changed direction?
Simon: “Approaching 50 years old, I needed a change and after many years working for other people in business, the entrepreneur in me needed to do something for myself. I was passionate about the industry and wanted to help develop my learning. Over the years I guess I had become pretty well-connected and people always asked me to help them find new staff and conduct sales training. A KBB industry-specific recruitment agency seemed to be something that was really needed. In April 2018 Simon Acres Group was incorporated to offer recruitment, training and media throughout the KBB and merchant sector.”
Q: The company now has several brands across recruitment, training and media. Can you talk us through them?
Simon: “Simon Acres Recruitment was the first and is an executive search and headhunting service for KBB and merchant staff required for manufacturers and retailers. We source senior board positions, designers, salespeople, project managers and installers, it’s quite a hands-on consultancy service for our clients. We then acquired KBB Recruitment Ltd in 2019 which acts as a more traditional online recruitment service/ jobs listing where our clients can advertise jobs in a more cost-effective way. KBB Recruitment is number one in Google searches for KBB jobs but unlike other mainstream recruitment services, its specific to the industry and delivers experienced candidates. Premium Executive Recruitment is a headhunting service for senior executives. Our service proposition extends to senior positions across multiple sectors, including builders’ merchants, distributors, manufacturers, high-end retailers, as well as the construction industry. Clients are given their own dedicated account manager to achieve the best results through clear communication and understanding of their exact requirements, from expertise and experience to character and culture.
“We are also very excited to have recently acquired Oval Deene Recruitment Ltd to the group and we are delighted that the company’s founder, the hugely experienced Gemma Creasey, has joined us as Commercial Director to enable us to expand while improving operations, training and processes to maintain the excellent standards of service we provide.”
Q: You have also added Simon Acres Media to the group
Simon: “This is something that grew organically from what we were doing to promote ourselves with filming, websites and digital. Our clients asked if we could produce similar for them, and it developed into a really interesting side of our business. We now work with many other KBB media and associations, filming industry events and as well as great work, it is great exposure for us as well.”
Q: Can you tell me about the training you offer?
Simon: “When it comes to Simon Acres Training, we offer a comprehensive online training programme, a bespoke service and dedicated consultancy. Online training courses offer a host of training modules for kitchen and bathroom design and basic to advanced showroom selling techniques. They are available to anyone at any time from our website at a very reasonable cost. In more depth is our bespoke training scheme which offers face-to-face training with full-day sessions and we offer a custom package to help clients improve overall staff performance. KBB Services is retail-specific and works as a consultancy service introducing retailers to smart solutions such as finance to enable them to stand out against the competition and ultimately become more successful.”
Q: At this year’s InstallerSHOW you presented a full programme of talks focusing on apprenticeships. Is this another addition to the company?
Simon: “Well, as a group we are getting more and more involved with apprenticeships and our work at InstallerSHOW demonstrated that. The event represents an excellent opportunity for us and the rest of the KBB industry to interact with the installations side of the business. It’s no secret that the industry is facing an issue with recruiting younger people to join the industry in all areas with an anticipated skills gap on the horizon. It’s in everyone’s interest that the future of the business looks bright, and besides it seems like getting involved in apprenticeships is the right thing for us to do as a company. As members of the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network (ANN), we’ve run a series of apprenticeship and recruitment events with relevant partners, and this is something we will continue to do. As a company we are passionate about the future of the industry and it’s essential that we all help to stimulate the next generation of KBB professionals.”
Q: Is there a solution to recruiting young people into the sector?
Simon: “That’s a tough question to answer. There are so many challenges with so many parties involved so I don’t think there is a simple solution however things are moving in the right direction. Recently, I qualified as an Independent End Point Assessor with Achieve & Partners to get closer to understanding the process and giving back to the industry, supporting standards such as Fitted Furniture Design Technician L3 and Trade Suppler L2. I am very optimistic about the new government’s ‘Skills England’ initiative, and I’ve been working with the DfE to simplify the application process and the ANN to try to increase the number of apprenticeship hires.”
Q: Finally, Simon, what do you think we can expect in the future?
Simon: “The industry has been through a lot of challenges like Brexit and the pandemic. We saw a huge increase in demand for all KBB products and services after lockdown, followed by a bit of a downturn. Things seem to be returning to normal now, but a lot has changed – DIY is on the increase and installer influence is growing, affecting clients buying decisions. I think retailers will have to become more of a one-stop shop to offer more services to more people. It’s a highly competitive market and everyone needs training and upskilling on sales techniques, the use of social media and modern marketing. There is an awful lot to do, and we are very happy to help.”
Find out more at: simonacres.co.uk
