Hisense: ‘Retailers want support, not just some glib sales story’

Appliance and electronics manufacturer and billion-pound multinational Hisense is yet to replicate its global success in the UK market. But Howard Grindrod, VP of Hisense UK, says retailers are key to its future success

by kbbreview07 February, 202506 February, 2025

Interview: Rebecca Nottingham // Words: Matt Baker

The appliance market in the UK is saturated with many big players and international brands, but Hisense has seen continual growth since UK VP Howard Grindrod joined the business in 2012.

The multi-billion-pound Chinese giant has over 100,000 employees worldwide and extensive manufacturing and R&D sites in Europe. It owns Gorenje in Slovenia and has made a significant move into the independent kitchen specialist market in the last year.

This together with a product offering in every major MDA category in Europe and a total business size approaching £350 – £400 million in the UK, suggests Hisense already has pedigree in the market.

Part of this growth, initially, was the decision to have a heavy online presence. “It’s something we’re not embarrassed about,” says Grindrod. “Online retail meant there was a destination for consumers to buy our products, which gave us time to get our own website together and get our messaging right for the UK market. Consumers could then search for Hisense, see products for sale, and compare prices – giving them a research base.”

In recent years, the point of sale has become important to the brand, having invested in bricks-and-mortar retail even during Covid. Grindrod says the support is there to back up that initial investment to retail spaces. “We have the logistics and after-sales service set up for retailers. “We’ve now gone into both smaller and larger independents and installed displays. On the back of going into stores, we now have a retail operations manager and a training manager. The team can go out nationally to support our point-of-sale retailers.”

Talking about independents, Grindrod says: “You have independent retailers who have built their own business – their money, their investment. They want to know they will be supported in a credible way and not have some glib sales story coming at them like our product is fantastic, please buy it. Independent retailers want to know that once a product is sold, it stays sold and supported, and they can get on with running their business.”

Awareness

Hisense is in the unique position of having a strong brand awareness, having sponsored motor racing, the Euros, and the World Cup, but still has room to grow. “We’ve grown the business to a credible critical mass, the brand is high profile, and the product knowledge has been building with more room to grow,” explains Grindrod. “A lot of people still haven’t tried us.”

There’s been a lot written about 2024’s difficulties for the KBB sector, but Grindrod thinks there’s more stability on the horizon, despite the market staying flat. “All the markets have been down but now the UK political uncertainty to an extent has been settled, and decisions have been made, 2025 will be down with limited growth,” he says. “But this forces suppliers to be innovative, including how we support retailers and how we present ourselves to consumers.”

Appliances have long been a bugbear for kitchen retailers because they can be a logistical headache with challenging margins. They’re often seen as something they must offer in order to provide a full turnkey service. Grindrod believes Hisense is set up for retailers: “Kitchen specialists want the appliances just in time to fit into the kitchen when it’s actually installed. We’re aware of that and are open to solutions.

“We’re looking at shortening the supply chain and how we might supply a ‘just in time‘ solution. Hisense is completely attuned to serviceability due to our wide product range and well-planned sales and planning. It’s the right time to offer it to a wider independent base.”

Since Grindrod joined, the brand has known nothing but growth. “This is down to a mixture of the products, the people in the business, and our supply structure. Hisense has aspirations to maintain a robust rate of growth,” Grindrod explains. And with a plan to turnover £400m in the next year, Hisense UK will be leaning into its pedigree every step of the way.