Leading with Experience: David Kent Joins Decora as New Trade Sales Director

With over 35 years in window coverings, David is known for his drive and dedication. He aims to enhance the customer experience and keep Decora as the UK’s leading trade supplier.

What are your key priorities for Decora moving forward?

We will continue to explore new ways to innovate within the market, whether through product development, enhanced services, or advanced technology. Our focus is on making our customers’ lives as simple as possible and ensuring that working with Decora is always straightforward, rewarding and efficient. Our goal is to become the go-to choice in the industry, a partner so reliable and forward thinking that customers wouldn’t consider going anywhere else. We aim to be front and centre in the market, confidently setting the standard others aspire to.

In your view, which of Decora’s strengths stand out most in today’s market, and how do you see them evolving?

Our greatest strength is the scale of the business, but also the ability to be agile and adapt quickly to the needs of our customers. Our manufacturing capabilities are staggering. Customers love the fact that they can get products quickly. This is key in a market which is moving increasingly towards quick turnaround products. We have seen a significant transition in shutters. Historically, customers were prepared to wait 12 weeks for shutters. However, we are seeing greater demand for our UK made short lead time product. I believe the appetite for getting products more quickly will continue. The great thing for me is that we have the infrastructure already in place to continue to meet this demand.

How do you ensure customer needs remain central to key business decisions?

It is important that we continue to listen to our customers. We are lucky to have customers from all parts of the industry, whether that be independent retailers, multi-channel retailers, customers who trade online and those that manufacture products using our wholesale service. The great thing about Decora is that we are able to attain feedback from all of the key sectors in the industry. This provides us with an excellent opportunity to ensure that our business provides the right products and services to keep Decora at the forefront of the industry. It is vital that we continue to act on input and keep developing great products, supported by market leading service.

Can you share one of the most defining or proudest moments in your career so far?

I have been in the industry for over 35 years, I left school without any qualifications and fortunately I managed to get a role on a youth training scheme with a local blinds company in Nottingham (Hillarys). I guess it is all I have known. I feel extremely fortunate to have met some amazing people in that time, and through a lot of hard work and determination, I have managed to enjoy a long career in blinds! I guess the most recent defining moment was a message out of the blue, asking if I would be interested in a conversation about a sales role at Tropical Blinds back in February 2023.Thankfully, I got the job and made the decision to return to the industry. Without that message or my experience at Tropical, I wouldn’t be at Decora today. I’ll always be thankful for my time there and for working with such an incredible team.

Looking to the future, what are you most excited about when it comes to Decora’s direction?

The journey! Decora has an incredibly successful past and I’m proud to be part of the team that can build a really successful future.

I want to harness Decora’s scale to stay industry leaders. With the right people, technology, and innovation, we must keep striving to be best in class.

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