BWCA Chairman celebrates industry success whilst conference told by Lord Digby Jones: ‘Don’t sell on price; add value; deal in quality’
April 16, 2014
BWCA Chairman celebrates industry success whilst conference told by Lord Digby Jones: ‘Don’t sell on price; add value; deal in quality’
John Dundon, Chairman of BWCA
‘Waves of change; oceans of opportunity’ was the theme set for the 2014 annual British Water Cooler (BWCA) conference and trade show. And, with one of the liveliest conferences, the best attended trade show and a market upturn for the first time since 2007, the title couldn’t have been more apt.
He said “The WE team does a fantastic job to protect this industry. And representing WE here today are two giants of the industry: Michael Barnett Treasurer and Alain Adler Chairman of WE. This is a UK event but over the last few years it's become international; we have people from 18 countries attending. When we talk about opportunity and change, this is important”.
Commenting on the wider business environment, John Dundon said: “Firstly there's been talk of recovery but this recession is deeper and has recovered more slowly than previous recessions. However, talking informally to people in the industry, I gather that business seems good for everyone. But we face a challenge. During the crash the environment was off the agenda. Now there is a controversial global warming report just out, firmly placing this subject back on the agenda. We think the UK market, helped by a good summer, is in good shape”.
Iva Hatzold, Market Consultant, Zenith International reported strong results for the UK industry. This is the first time the total cooler base - including both mains fed or Point of Use (POU) and Bottled Water (BW) Coolers - has grown since 2007. The total number of cooler units in the UK grew by 0.8% with the total market (POU and BW combined) stood at 668,000 units in 2013, with a value £112 million, compared with £109million reported by Zenith International for the previous year (2012).
Lord Digby Jones Kt., former Minister of State for Trade and Investment and former Director General of the Confederation of Business Industry delivered a rousing and inspirational speech in which he praised the water cooler industry saying that without industry there would be no taxes and without taxes, no public services. His advice to those present was clear. “Don't sell something just on price. Add value. Deal in quality and deal in innovation.”
The day finished with a fabulous Las Vegas night with special guest Elvis.