BHETA’s next retailer networking forum takes place on 25 March and will feature Amanda Reed, Leekes’ Buying Controller. 

Leekes will be bringing BHETA members up to speed on recent changes at the out of town department store group, which offers housewares alongside garden and DIY products. Reed will outline all Leekes’ latest projects and how suppliers can support future developments and further establish trading relationships.

Founded in 1897, and now one of the UK’s leading independent retailers, Leekes has six stores and many of its product offers are exclusive to the brand. In 2009 it bought Coles to add stores in the West Midlands to its heartland in Wales and Wiltshire.

Delegates at the forum will also hear from the CBI’s Ben Delaney, who will present a general economic update post-Brexit; and from Emily Stella and Amy Higginbotham, both analysts at Global Data, who will be discussing the latest statistics from the home improvement market and outlining the reports which Global Data can supply to BHETA members. 

The fourth speaker will be John Pierce, the CEO of the Made In Britain Campaign, which supports and promotes British manufacturing, enabling buyers and consumers at home and abroad to identify British-made products.  Pierce will be talking about how Made In Britain can help small and medium-sized British manufacturers.