BHETA’s most recent Meet the Buyer retail networking day with housewares stockists TK Maxx and Homesense (part of the TK Maxx Group) was described as “a great success” by Seema Grantham, BHETA’s housewares sector manager. The event saw a total of 47 appointments between buyers and suppliers.
TK Maxx buyers from the kitchenware, dining & tabletop, cookshop, utility, laundry & cleaning and bathroom accessories categories all attended, with a view to finding ‘great deals to start the year’. Product ideas were presented from across the buying categories, including picnic, BBQ and barware, reusable and recyclable and small electrical products, as well as food preparation, cooking and serving, laundry, cleaning, storage and bathroom.
Some 25 suppliers companies participated, using the successful ‘Meet the Buyer’ format of a 20-minute appointment with the relevant buyer or buyers.
BHETA’s chief operating officer Will Jones commented: “It was great to be able to provide members with an opportunity to meet the TK Maxx and Homesense buying team. These two retail brands have a significant share of the housewares sector, and a reputation for being good business partners.”
TK Maxx is a subsidiary of the American clothing and home goods company TJX Companies. Founded in 1976, its first UK store opened in Bristol in 1994. Created as a budget retail concept, but featuring well-known brands, more recently it moved into a large department store format with a wider product range. It launched its ecommerce site in 2009.
Focusing on on housewares and homewares, Homesense (which launched as part of the TK Maxx Group in 2008) has opened 70 stores across the UK and Ireland, with more expected.
* BHETA’s next retailer networking forum takes place on March 25 and will feature Amanda Reed, Leekes’ Buying Controller
*The association’s next Credit Forum is on March 24.
For more information on BHETA events – to include more Meet the Buyer opportunities – see www.bheta.co.uk
Top: Home products as currently highlighted on TK Maxx’s ecommerce site.
