Peter Spencer, the new MD of GDHA, talks transformation, trust, and the challenge of making British cooking brands relevant again.
GDHA has, in the words of new managing director Peter Spencer, gone through “a massive transformation”.
Most significantly, the home of Stoves, Belling and New World saw its UK manufacturing base in Prescot close two years ago as part of a major restructure designed to turn the company’s fortunes around after several turbulent years.
New managing director Peter Spencer, the former head of Electrolux UK, has been tasked with continuing the turnaround – “I like a challenge,” he says.
You joined GDHA after a period of upheaval. What were your first impressions of the business?
It’s fair to say the business has been through a huge transformation. Ending production at Prescot, outsourcing our contact centre and service provision to Pacifica, moving to third-party warehousing was a seismic shift.
There was a heavy fixed overhead tied to a factory that little flexibility. When you’re manufacturing focused, the question becomes “How do we keep the factory full?” rather than “What does the customer want?” That definitely needed to change.
Given all that, what excited you about taking on the role?
I’m an engineer by background so I’m curious, I like commercial challenges, and I enjoy working out what makes the customer tick. GDHA has two great British cooking brands in Belling and Stoves, and I believe we now have a sustainable business model. We’re moving from a manufacturing-first business to a consumer-first one – rebuilding on a solid foundation.
Where does that leave the New World brand?
It’s not gone, but we’ve had to be pragmatic. Now, we’re just getting the engine going, and even funding two brands is challenging. To throw a third into the mix would be foolhardy. We may use New World tactically in future, but for now, the focus is on Belling and Stoves.
Freestanding cooking is very traditionally British. Can these brands compete in a market dominated by European giants?
Absolutely. There’s a real affinity among British consumers for freestanding cooking. It’s nostalgic but also practical, and I think there’s scope to make it feel modern again.
We’re also seeing opportunities in export markets like Benelux, France and Australia where 90cm appliances are gaining traction. We’ve started by paring back our designs – more traditional, yes, but there’s a pipeline of more contemporary styles coming. It’s about broadening appeal without losing our identity.
How are you rebuilding trust with independent retailers?
We took our eye off the ball with independents around three years ago. That’s been recognised and addressed. We’ve since invested heavily in our independent retail team, getting boots on the ground and having honest conversations.
I’ve spent much of my first six months visiting retailers, understanding their needs and how we can support them. Crucially, we’ve moved manufacturing offshore, but in a controlled way.
We’re not just sticking the badge on any old stuff, its British design with long-term Asian manufacturing partnerships. That’s a message we’re really working hard to communicate.
How do you approach convincing retailers to give you showroom space in this competitive category?
It’s about trust, transparency, and demonstrating value. These are big-ticket items and take up a lot of floor space, so retailers need to believe in the brand. We’re working on that by offering strong point-of-sale support and a product that delivers real value – we’re not the cheapest, but give excellent quality for the price.
We’re not trying to conquer the whole market at once. We’re focused on building slowly and sustainably, starting with the independent electrical retailers and gradually expanding into kitchen studios when the time is right.
And what does success look like this time next year?
We want our Colour Boutique range fully launched, our new freestanding cookers to be in full distribution, and critically, we want to be making money. We can’t go through this much change as a company and not see a return. That’s the marker for real progress.