Expand and Deliver

Toomebridge-based Uform Group is on a roll, planning to see revenue grow to almost £100m over the next five years. Eamon Donnelly, CEO, tells Emma Deighan exactly why the 30-year-old kitchen component manufacturer and distributor is right to project such ambitious targets.

Uform was founded in 1993 as Oakwood Door Designs Limited by Eamon, his brother Paul, and his late father Eddie, who set a cultural precedent that he says the business still holds at its core today.

Over the last 29 years, the company has evolved, outgrowing its original base in Magherafelt to expand its footprint to include an impressive 9-acre 225,000 sq. foot state-of-the-art manufacturing and distribution facility in Toomebridge. It has also become the market leader in the supply of kitchen door frontals, with a specific focus on ‘Paint to Order’ in Ireland, and is fast expanding its presence in the UK, which will form part of the planned growth projection it has earmarked over the next five years. Forming part of the Uform Group is also Buncrana-based company Andoras Ltd, which specialises in the manufacturing of bespoke handcrafted kitchen furniture for the premium end of the market. These products are promoted through the end consumer brand, Aisling Artisan Furniture. Eamon, Group CEO and a former Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist, reflects: “When we commenced the business dad was very much the leading figure in terms of overseeing sales. He established the values within the business, which are still deeply rooted today. I looked after the strategic element of the business deploying strategies to generate and secure future growth and Paul was primarily operationally focused. “Together we all set the foundations that made the business what it is today.” The business’ core competence is its Paint to Order service which is delivered through automated robotic spray-painting technology and hand spraying equipment. Eamon says the company is now proud to boast the largest painting facility in the industry within the UK and Ireland, enabling them to offer the largest exstock product range in the market with 22

door styles, 10,000 skus and £9.5m of stock.

The product is sold through multiple channels including trade manufacturers, the residential contract market and a network of approved independent kitchen retailers which accounts for one of their biggest routes to market. In addition to door frontals, the Uform Group offers a range of accessories and complementary products. Eamon adds: “Our mission is very simple: we want to enable our customers to create aspirational living spaces by supplying unrivalled products focused on the heart of the home and it’s our comprehensive portfolio of choice that allows us to deliver on this mission.”

The company caters for other areas beyond the kitchen; from pantries, utility rooms, home office spaces and freestanding complementary furniture for living and dining areas, making the opportunities for customising designs and colours “endless”.

He likens the operation to the fashion business, only for the home, with trending finishes, innovative styles and colours key to its success.

“What we operate in is a fashion-driven industry, and what is critical to us is ensuring we have the right styles at the right price for our target audience, which is focused more on the middle, upper segment of the market. “We’re a fashion house and it’s critical that we retain our position as leaders of product innovation, colours and design in order to provide a premium buying experience, and a product that provides value.” He says trends at the business are driven by innovation at leading European exhibitions and accent trends from other markets as well as colour influences from all the major paint manufacturers. “You need to know what you’re looking at,” Eamon asserts. “There’s a lot of manufacturer support and networking and interpreting that. “We have nine people in our marketing and category teams who are solely focused on continuous product development and ensuring that our portfolio is marketed and presented in the most commercial, impactful way, both to our trade customer and to the end consumer through our Kitchen Stori brand.” The company’s accounts show that it has benefited from the great domestic makeover during the pandemic and that legacy continues. “There are ongoing challenges and price pressures including energy, fuel and raw materials and that has been a real test. Most of the competition is sourcing raw materials and goods from Europe in the main but we have a champion’s league supply game and that’s something we’ve worked hard at developing to ensure we can buy in bulk and stock it. “But if we take a closer look at the macroeconomics, there is still a lot of money on deposit in the banking system, and unemployment is at its lowest in almost 50 years. What there is, however, is that our targeted consumer channels are being more considered at this moment in time.”

Eamon says the company is very focused on its target market with growth high on the agenda. He explains how the company is in the final stage of a £3.4m investment which includes a new warehouse and two additional robotic spray lines which will help deliver increased capacity and efficiencies that will enable the delivery of the firm’s five-year projection. “We are a market leader in what we do in Ireland, and in the UK we have around 5% of the market share. We are positioned for growth there but that will be based around new customer acquisition and diversification into other products. “Our vision is to be easy to do business with through extensive choice, quality and convenience, whilst offering a worldclass customer service. We’re considering bedrooms and everything behind a kitchen door or cabinet to be able to deliver on our vision so we’re very focused on what we need to do and how we are going to do it.” Part of those plans is also to grow the 335-strong team across the Group to 450, Eamon reveals.

It’s that team, he says, that is the heart of the triumphs it experienced during its timeline “as well as our vision of making sure we’re easy to do business with”. “We’ve always understood our market and we’ve continued investing right across all aspects of the business including training and development. “We invest in people and nurture a culture which gives our people autonomy to make decisions and think outside the box and it’s this that helps us remain market leaders in our industry.” He says valuing staff and keeping the lines of communication open, allowing their investment to be everyone’s investment strengthens the team culture. “We have this saying: ‘recruit A stars, pay A-star wages and expect A-star results’.” Uform’s HR team focuses on four objectives which cover health and wellbeing, communication, learning and development and performance management, all with the aim of ensuring a workforce which is motivated, engaged, happy and rewarded. Reflecting on the business climate over the past two years, Simon Oliphant, Uform Group managing director, summed up the company’s culture in a company comment. He said: “The circumstances have emphasised the need to create an even more dynamic and flexible environment, to counteract unforeseen challenges. “This can only be achieved through a positive and well-established culture. People run businesses and it’s those people who create the necessary infrastructure to service customers’ needs. Our culture within the Uform Group is deep rooted in every aspect of the organisation.”

“We are a market leader in what we do in Ireland, and in the UK we have around 5% of the market share. We are positioned for growth there but that will be based around new customer acquisition and diversification into other products.”