UK bed specialist, Bensons for Beds has today announced the appointment of Mark Slater as chief commercial officer. The role will see him become part of the Executive team.
Having joined the business in an interim capacity in February, Slater brings with him a wealth of experience, having previously worked on the executive team of Howdens plc, a £4.7bn FTSE100 company. Prior to this he has held a number of senior commercial roles at Travis Perkins, Currys and The Walt Disney Company amongst others.
During his time at Howdens plc, he established the brand’s first commercial team – delivering a 65% sales growth and PBT growth from £239m to £406m, with significant market share growth. Slater led the redesign and reinvigoration of the company’s product proposition, depot and customer pricing structure, accelerating new product sales and significantly improving promotional impact. He also oversaw the development and implementation of Howdens’ ESG strategy.
As the new chief commercial officer, Slater will be responsible for the business’ commercial, marketing, digital and services teams, alongside product innovation and new business development with a key focus on growing the brands’ sales and overall market share.
Nick Collard, CEO at Bensons for Beds, says: “Following our return to profitability, this appointment is a critical role for Bensons as we begin to accelerate our work to create a more distinctive, compelling, and sector leading offer for our customers.
“Mark’s commercial knowledge and experience of working in assisted sale, vertically integrated businesses will be a strong addition to our leadership team, and it’s a testament to the progress that Bensons has made in recent years that we have been able to attract someone of Mark’s background to be part of our journey.”
Slater says: “The turnaround that Nick and the team have done with the business thus far, in the midst of a highly volatile consumer market, has been extremely impressive. Bensons’ expertise and manufacturing capabilities present a huge opportunity for the business. I’m delighted to be part of the team driving this forward.”
Last month Bensons posted an EBITDA profit of £1.5m in the 53 weeks to 30 September 2023, up from a £15.4m loss in 2022, as sales jumped 7.5% to £257.5m due to its ongoing investment into improving its product offer and customer experience.
Bensons plans to open more than a dozen new stores in 2024 as it continues with its store expansion drive.
