We are continuing to learn more about the Suppliers we work closely with and this month our Q+A focuses on Moray Forrest of Newmor Wallcoverings. As one of our ‘go-to’ wallcovering brands, we were keen to find out more about how Newmor keeps bringing innovative and fresh products to the market.
How would you sum up your company in three words?
Family, Experienced, Quality.
Being a family owned business brings a strong sense of loyalty and market understanding, whilst the bottom line is of importance the board is able to take a more long-term view on investments. Having now 51 years’ experience provides us with the knowledge of how to produce our products to the highest quality which for the environments they are being installed in is absolute paramount for our clients.
How long has the company been established and how long have you been working for them?
51 years and I’ve worked here for 7 years.
What is your role at the company?
I support our International distributors
What is the best part of the job?
When a specified product gets ordered after the ‘long haul’ from specification to arriving on site. This can be years in some instances but usually 12-18 months from initial interest.
Do you have a best-selling product?
Difficult to say as if we have a product that sells to a large project it can make that product seem like the biggest seller when in reality we may have sold it only a few times but many thousands of meters in one order. Silk and linen looks are always popular products.
Where have you been most proud of seeing your brand in-situ?
Coming from the UK I would have to say the Savoy in London. It was an absolute pleasure to see our wallcovering installed as part of the recent refurbishment programme to this most prestigious of institutions.
What has the most influence over your product design?
We have an in-house Design and Graphic Design team and as such design products of differing natures and design intent. We find that paler colours with subtle designs in linens or weaves suit high traffic areas such as corridors but ‘design focused’ products with bolder statements suit feature wall areas.
Do you have a favourite new product this year?
Actually, we’ve just launched a few new products all of which I’m proud to present to my clients. My favourite however must be our new Newmor Designer range which was a collaboration with a fellow Welsh design studio, Patternistas. The collection offers a fantastic array of colour and design which creates a unique feature to the environment it’s being hung in.
How do you promote your brand to make sure it stays in the mind of your buyers/consumers?
There are a number of ways in which we promote our brand, social media, web-site, exhibitions, magazine articles etc, etc. However, without a doubt the most important is our sales teams and distribution partners. They are at the front-line when it comes to ensuring the brand is at the forefront of our clients’ minds. It’s vital that they build relationships to ensure that when clients think wallcoverings they think Newmor.
Are there brands in the industry that you admire, what makes them great?
Of course, there are a number of brands in the market that we admire, though one which particularly stands out is Roca. It goes without saying that their products are from a design point of view incredibly innovative, though for me it’s their customer relationship management that stands out. Bringing customers back time and time again is for me paramount to building a successful business and something we at Newmor also strive for.
The design calendar seems to grow every year. Do you have a favourite interiors/design exhibition?
Sleep in London suits our UK market and Heimtextil in Frankfurt has a global catchment
How much travel is involved with your job, do you have a favourite country to visit? Why do you enjoy it?
I travel all over the world and am on a plane most weeks. Places with cultural differences are ‘perhaps’ my favourite places to visit, Istanbul, Tel Aviv, Morocco and some US states (believe it or not!)
How do you see your company evolving over the next few years? Do you have any plans you can share with us?
We are continually looking to grow our ‘countries of distribution’ and develop our ‘design portfolio’ for differing markets.
Congratulations on celebrating your 50th anniversary last year, what did you do to celebrate this special occasion?
Thank you! Yes, it was a fantastic occasion for us. Being a family owned business, the board felt that this celebration could only have been achieved with the staff that form the business, we therefore arranged for an afternoon party for our 200 employees and families at a well-known local National Trust venue, Powis castle. Fortunately, the weather held out for us!
What is the best thing about being a family-run business?
Having experienced the other end of the scale working for a company that was owned by a private equity firm who were only interested in short term gains, I can categorically say that, though not without its own challenges, there is a great sense of belonging to a company of our size, this in turn creates a very ‘inviting environment’.
Many thanks for taking the time to answer our questions Moray! It’s been great learning more about Newmor.
For more information on Newmor please visit their website www.newmor.com
