Interview With Sean Toseland, Trendiswitch Ltd Sales Director

Here’s the latest in Steve Collinge's series of interviews with key players across the Home Improvement and Garden Industries.

This week I have the pleasure of speaking with Sean Toseland, Sales Director Consumer Retail for Trendiswitch, one of a new breed of companies shaking up long established product categories in the Home & Garden industry.

Sean Toseland - Sales Director Consumer Retail for Trendiswitch

Tell me more about the background and history of the Trendiswitch business?

The company was founded in 2014 in a friend’s barn following what some might say was a Eureka moment – the simplest ideas create the greatest impact. At Trendiswitch, the design is very simple, but unique to the Wiring Accessories market, tactile and functional with interchangeable plates. In reality, the market has not changed for decades, whereas we are driven by design, our elongated on/off switch sets us apart, it has to look good, be different and stylish.

I understand, you've recently moved premises in East Sussex?

Our first commercial premises was a 2,000 Sq. Ft office with a small stock storage room. In 2020 we moved to a new 4,000 Sq. Ft purpose-built warehouse, but we quickly outgrew this and last December we completed our most recent move by acquiring the warehouse next door, adding an additional 6,000 Sq. Ft. The facility we now have, including making warehouse and pick pack facility is now 10,000 Sq. Ft.

Where can consumers currently purchase Trendiswitch products?

We’ve been really successful at building our retail distribution over the last three years, Homebase were our first venture into the retail space and they have been very supportive in our development and growth over the last three years,  our progress has also been helped as we bring a completely new, incremental sales and profit opportunity to the retailer.

Here’s a summary of retailers where Trendiswitch products can be found:-

• Homebase - https://www.homebase.co.uk/brands/trendi-switch.list?autocomplete=searchsuggestion 
   
• The Very Group - https://www.very.co.uk/e/q/trendiswitch.end?_requestid=164106
  
  
• The Range - https://www.therange.co.uk/search?q=Trendiswitch#in_stock_f=true&sort=relevance&page=1&lpp=24
  
  
• Next - https://www.next.co.uk/search?w=trendiswitch&isort=score&af=#1_0
  
  
• Robert Dyas – https://www.robertdyas.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/?q=trendiswitch

• The Internet Electrical Store - https://www.theinternetelectricalstore.com/trendi-switches--sockets-1851-c.asp

The TrendiSwitch fixture in Homebase:

I understand you started supplying The Very Group for the first time in 2021, how have you found working with them?

Very has been a very interesting journey for us, providing huge exposure to their network of very active digital customers. We were quite surprised that we enjoyed immediate demand from the very first day the products were available and we’ve seen strong month on month growth ever since. Promotional activity definitely drives sales at Very.co.uk and we’ve seen particular peaks in demand during certain periods of the year. Our buyer Terence Conchie is very proactive (he previously worked at B&Q) and we have some exciting plans to add new products and new colours in 2022.

Which is the one retailer you don't supply, who you feel would be perfect for Trendiswitch products?

Our range provides the perfect finishing touch to any room in the house and with 20 colour options we can complete almost any colour scheme. A retailer such as Dunelm, who are one of the best at inspiring their customers and providing finishing touches would in my opinion be an ideal stockist.

What are the key trends that you’ve seen in the Electrical market over the last 12-18 months? 

There’s no doubt that Smart products, controlled by voice App’s including Alexa and also via Bluetooth from your phone are making their presence felt. It’s a natural progression that these products will have an impact on our sector and we’ll be launching innovation in this space later in 2022.

What would you say is currently the most significant opportunity within your category for retailers?

I passionately believe that the established Home Improvement retailers are currently missing a trick when it comes to the added value opportunity within the Electrical Accessories Category. A product like a coloured electrical socket or light-switch is an ideal finishing touch to a makeover project and it’s not a difficult sell to a consumer in the process of decorating their rooms. The clean, modern lines and large colour palette shouldn’t just be locked away in the Electrical department, the range could be located in multiple locations around the store including Kitchens and Bedrooms, Paint and Wallpaper etc..

What does 2022 and beyond look like for the Trendiswitch business? 

This year has started with our warehouse and office move, providing us with plenty of capacity to meet our ambitious three-year growth forecast. Fortunately, our products are relatively small and interchangeable, so with the additional space, we can be flexible when it comes to production and assembly. The fact that we can swap our core units and plates means we can continue to offer a very high OTIF as we grow our customer and consumer demand.

What innovation can we expect from Trendiswitch this year?

LED Compatible Dimmers

Towards the end of 2021, we launched an LED Dimmer range and this will expand from a one and two gang to a three and four gang option on a double plate this year. These dimmers enjoy the familiar Trendiswitch screwless plate design, this therefore makes them easy to clean. Additionally, the faceplate can be easily removed when decorating, you can even change your colour scheme by simply removing the faceplate clicking the new one into place which means there is no need for additional electrical wiring.

More here on the LED Dimmer range.

New USB Plug Socket

USB is going to be increasingly important for us in 2022. The brand new 2 gang 13-amp short switched twin USB plug socket will be launching this month and will be live in stores and online from March 2022. The new twin USB plug socket will be available in 23 different colours, each with an interchangeable faceplate allowing for the interior to be seamlessly changed with just two clicks.

The new release will be an alternative to the already established 4x USB plug socket however the twin USB plug socket will allow for faster charging, with 2.1amp and 3.1amp options. 

More here on the new USB range.

Finally, in the second part of 2022, we’ll be launching a Smart range of products in addition to our core offer, allowing voice and App control, more details to follow soon!

Steve Collinge is an international speaker, Retail influencer and commentator and is Managing Director of Insight Retail Group Ltd and executive editor of Insight DIY. You can follow Steve on LinkedIn here on and contact him via DM at any time. 

Source : Steve Collinge

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