160-years of homeware

Why Charles Bentley is no longer a secret

A 160-year-old company was Loughborough’s best-kept secret until a financial transformation strategy helped it to become a trusted household brand in less than six years – now their products and

innovations are internationally revered WORDS BY KERRY SMITH

SADIE POLLARD

Home and garden company Charles Bentley presented their latest collections at the Exclusively Show in London this June, which showcases leading houseware suppliers and the latest product launches.

The Loughborough-based family business showcased their new cleaning range called Re.Think, which challenges the plastic status quo; a new superior brushware range, Charnwood; and their new pizza oven, OTTIMO, which was a shortlisted finalist for garden leisure product of the year.

That’s a lot of innovation to celebrate over just a few short months. To get to this level of success, the brand had to evolve. The past few years have seen Charles Bentley establish itself as a well-known, global business, yet the company has been in Leicestershire since 1860.

A major contributing factor to the brand’s rapid growth can be attributed to its Finance Director. Sadie Pollard, a finalist in the Businesswoman of the Year category of the Niche Business Awards 2022, she started working for the company in 2016 as a Finance Controller. Within seven months, she was promoted to Finance Director.

On this quick career progression, Sadie commented: “We’re proud to say that Charles Bentley products can be found in most homes, it’s just that no one knew it, as we ‘white-labelled’ products for most of the UK’s best-known retail brands. The business had outgrown just being a keystone to other retail brands, and I could see how I could make a positive financial difference to the business. The way the business operated was putting disproportionate pressure on working capital. The role was ideal for me, because I’m passionate about developing and implementing financial strategies, processes, software, reporting, and driving change. The business was incredibly supportive in implementing my financial transformational strategy which empowered the business to diversify and enter new categories and markets.”

In Sadie’s first year, she delivered two strategic budget plans, recruited a new team, redesigned the financial reporting, wrote and developed a business plan that drilled down into every facet of the business, and purchased and implemented a new data reporting package called Qlik Sense. She was able to reduce aged stock holding by £500k, reduce the average time it took for debtors to pay invoices, and improve operating profit by £1.4m.

Solidifying the new foundations of the finance team, Sadie’s work went on to have a huge impact on the culture of the family-run firm. They recently conducted an internal survey. The metrics showed that every employee was happier than before the pandemic and, it turns out, Sadie’s team were the happiest of the lot.

When asked about the method behind her management, Sadie said: “I’m committed to treating everyone fairly

CHARLES BENTLEY PRODUCTS COULD BE FOUND IN MOST HOMES, IT’S JUST THAT NO ONE KNEW IT

and equally, and it comes down to approachability and communication. I always explain why we’re doing what we’re doing and how each task feeds into the bigger process. And I always thank people. As for the rest of the company, the teams are happier because we work around them, and we’ve improved communication and opportunities.”

Charles Bentley’s home and garden ranges can be found at charlesbentley.com.