Widdop, Bingham & Co. is an award winning wholesaler of giftware, baby gifts, wedding gifts,
clocks and other fancy goods trading throughout the UK. A family-run business which has been
established for over 125 years, they were founded in Brighouse in 1883 as a retail jewellers and
watchmakers, and today they are one of the UK’s largest suppliers of clocks, giftware and home
accessories to the trade. Supplying over 7000 products across 22 different brands to
wholesalers.
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Cast UK spent considerable time making sure they understood our business and the
role thoroughly, touring our warehouse and investigating exactly what was required. They
have an excellent understanding of their specialist sectors & functions, and worked
in partnership with us to ensure that our business and culture were matched incredibly
well with the best candidates, we were very impressed. Cast UK’s depth of knowledge
regarding our sector and the role’s requirements were second to none.
Chris Illingworth
Finance & Operations Director at Widdop, Bingham & Co ltd.
The Brief
Widdop, Bingham & Co were seeking to find a new Head of Operations, with the successful
candidate
requiring the following;
An established senior logistics professional with proven leadership skills. The
business was experiencing significant growth and investing in developing additional
distribution channels in mail-order and e-commerce in addition to the core business in
wholesale trade.
The ability to manage a busy customer services department/contact centre in addition to
managing operations.
To be able to restructure the Warehouse team to improve efficiencies.
Experience in developing and implementing new WMS. Widdop, Bingham & Co. previously
ran a manual / paper based distribution operation and had recently procured a WMS
(Proteus). The new Head of Operations was required to project manage the WMS
implementation and its continued development.
To be able to reduce transport costs.
To create and own the company’s logistics strategy to support future growth plans in
conjunction with the Board of Directors.
The Challenges
Culture fit was of the utmost importance, as this is one of the most senior positions in
the business, traditionally held by a senior family member.
The Client wanted a candidate from a major blue-chip background with an appreciation of
SME operations, which is difficult to find and as these two company types operate very
differently.
The duality of the role was key, as the successful candidate needed to be hands-on with
the team on the shop floor, whilst also being able to operate comfortably at board
level. Filling this vital position successfully was essential to the ongoing
operational success of the business.
Our Approach
After the initial meeting it was agreed the best way to proceed was to manage the
project as a retained assignment. Subsequently we met with the client twice on site to
ensure we gained a complete understanding of the company’s culture, operations, business
strategy and vision. We used our own database as well as advertising, to search out the
best & most relevant candidates for the position.
After agreeing a shortlist, we then undertook psychometric testing and interviewing on
behalf of the client, after which we presented the company with our final shortlist of
candidates, including interview notes and test reports.
Once the successful candidate, Larry Walls was offered and had accepted the role, we
kept in contact with him throughout his 3 month notice period, as well as arranging for
him to visit site during this time. This gave Larry a head start regarding company
developments and created real engagement between him and Widdop, Bingham & Co.
before his first day.
The Results
Larry Walls has now been Head of Operations for over 2 years at Widdop, Bingham & Co. In that
time,
his impact on the organisation has been exceptional:
He has helped reduced distribution cost by over £200K
Increased fulfilment rates from 97% to 99.8%
Managed attendance in Distribution - Now at: 98.7%
Only one member of staff has left the business in the time Larry has worked at Widdop, Bingham &
Co.
It was really enjoyable role to recruit, the Board of Directors at Widdop, Bingham &
Co. have a clear vision and strategy, which meant they were clear in the type of
individual that they required. They fully entrusted the process to us, realising that
Cast UK have the skills, specialist knowledge and experience to manage the project. They
are a very interesting business with a fantastic history, now experiencing high growth
in new markets. We look forward to continuing to work in partnership with Widdop,
Bingham & Co. in the future.
Gareth Steggles
Account Manager for Cast UK Logistics Team North
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