Carl Branigan has joined the Solingen-based knife manufacturer to move the company closer to customers in the UK and Ireland.
Carl is an experienced commercial professional and has held positions with Instant Brands EMEA, De’Longhi Group and Magimix UK over the last 10 years.
His appointment will allow Wüsthof to introduce individually tailored direct sales structures, a strategy that has proven successful in Germany, North America and Canada.
To enable its growth, Wüsthof is expanding its sales team at key points, introducing in-house sales managers to deal directly with retailers. Carl will lead the distribution market in the UK and Ireland.
Wüsthof’s UK market has, for several years, been managed by a distributor, but now the family owned company has responded to post-Brexit challenges and the ever evolving macro dynamics, and established its own direct UK sales and distribution subsidiary.
Carl and his team will supply retailers directly from Wüsthof’s newly built UK warehouse, maintaining quick and reliable delivery to customers, helping to further increase brand awareness and secure market share in the UK.
Carl commented: “Having already spoken with and visited numerous retail partners, I can see that Wüsthof products are highly desirable in the UK. We are already well represented in UK retail – well-known national retailers, many specialist independent retailers and a broad range of suppliers into the professional sector already stock Wüsthof knives.
“However, there is a lot more we can do and should be doing for our customers and the end user. We will bring exciting new knife collections and innovation to the market and offer customers their Wüsthof moment: both in stores and online.”
As of April 2023, the Wüsthof UK website will be available – another milestone in building and amplifying brand awareness and educating customers.
