The Playing Game
The future for Wicksteed, the UK’s leading playscape
designer and manufacturer, is continuing to look very rosy, thanks,
in part, to the change in direction and re-branding driven forward
by Stuart Wetherell, Sales Director.
Stuart Whetherall - Sales Director
“When I joined the company in 2004 the wheels of change
had already begun. It was just a simple case of a fresh pair of
eyes really”, said Stuart, “Wicksteed is, and has been,
a very successful brand.
We have always listened to our customers to understand their
needs and expectations, but we recently went one huge step further
and commissioned independent researchers to acquire unbiased
feedback on the playground industry as a whole, and Wicksteed in
particular.”
The re-branding has resulted in the new modern image, innovative
new products new style product book and website, amazing graphical
playscape presentations and lifelike playground animations.
In-depth staff training on subjects such as children’s
psychology and landscaping techniques has had an extraordinary
effect on the skill bases the company is now able to draw upon for
each playscape that is designed.
“As soon as plans for change were made mid 2006, the whole
team has been motivated by the challenge”, says Stuart.
The company’s approach to design has changed with the
unique formation of Play Teams in pro-active schools. Wicksteed is
now able to talk directly to the children to get their input into
design and producer development. The success of the Play
Teams is particularly evident in the new Monsta multi-play range,
as they played an active part in its design. Many of the colour
schemes of other Wicksteed product ranges were also chosen by the
members of the Play Teams.
As well as overseeing the Play Teams nationwide, Stuart is
responsible for 12 field sales people based across the UK and 22
internal sales staff, who include sales advisors, quotation
administrators and playscape designers.
“We are about to expand further into Europe and build upon
our success in both France and Spain where we have installed
equipment in several hundred sites. Our current annual export
turnover stands at just over one million”, says Stuart.
To learn more about Wicksteed Leisure visit www.wicksteed.co.uk