Rachel Cooper, Category Manager at AIS Ltd, talks about her role, a passion for interiors, most admired, current trends and what needs to change in the industry.
Let’s start with you. Can you share a bit about yourself and your background?
I have been in the furniture trade for over 30 years, the last 23 being with AIS. Prior to AIS I worked for Allied & Maples within their Contracts division furnishing show homes all over the UK. These jobs gave me a wonderful opening into the home décor market and interior furnishings. It allowed me to work with a major interior decorating magazine and even decorate & furnish a chateau in France!
I joined AIS as their Partnership Trading Manager, providing an excellent grounding into compliance in this sector. The true industry legend, Joe Martin was my mentor and really helped me develop my skills and knowledge; and trusted me to oversee the Cabinet category within AIS, as well as giving me responsibility for our import arm of the business – which grew three-fold in a year as Oak entered the UK market!
I travelled many places with Joe and rapidly realised having a break or anything less than a 12-hour day was not Joe’s thing! For anyone that knows me, I work hard, I am passionate about what I do, and I think a lot of my work ethics were instilled in me by Joe. I moved on to work with the beds category for many years at AIS before my current position as Category Manger for Upholstery, Cabinet & Garden Furniture.
I live on the outskirts of the Cotswolds in a small village with my lovely husband Darrell, my wonderful daughter Olivia and Bella (the diva) cat.
What is your current job role and key responsibilities?
Currently I am the AIS Category Manager for Upholstery, Cabinet & Garden Furniture. I have been in this role for three years. This entails working with suppliers to select product, develop new models and exclusives for the Membership, negotiating pricing, ensuring best margin potential is achieved, and organising promotional activity. I take time to visit Members, suppliers, external trade shows as well as comp shopping to ensure my knowledge and expertise is always its very best. I also work in close conjunction with our Events Team as we run three INDX Furniture trade shows a year.
What do you love about your job?
Firstly, I get to work with product every day, it’s just the best, from the development of product, selection of fabrics, working on pricing, launching of product through to seeing final products in store and customers purchasing them. The product journey is amazing! Secondly and most importantly the people I work with from suppliers, through to members to the team at AIS. The industry has some amazing people within it who you can support, but who will also support you too if and when you need it. We are a small team at AIS dedicated to furniture but we work closely and effectively. I don’t regard them as a team, more of a work family.
What time is your alarm clock set for and do you have a morning routine?
On an average day 6am, but there aren’t that many average days as I can be in the office some days, out with suppliers’ other days and off to see Members too. Make up and sorting out my crazy, unruly hair are the only morning routine which never change, everything else will change dependent on where I am travelling to that day.
Why did you choose to work in the furnishing industry?
I didn’t choose it; it seemed to choose me. I graduated from London University with a Geography degree with all good intentions to apply for my PGCE and go into teaching. I have always had a passion for interiors; from an early age I remember looking through my Mums interiors magazines at home and forever changing my bedroom to keep up with trends so maybe I was destined! I took a temporary job within the furniture industry after my degree and the rest is history as they say!
Who do you most admire in the industry and why?
I admire different people for different reasons, it’s hard to name just one, I will try and narrow it down. I admire our current MD at AIS, Sue Kemp. She has turned AIS around in the five years she has been with us. We are a more modern, forward-thinking business. It’s a very different business to what it was 10 years ago! I had a great deal of admiration for Lesley Graham from Sterling, what an amazing lady, a hugely respected figure who worked exceptionally hard in a male dominated industry, which makes her an inspiration to many. She is a sad loss for the furniture industry.
Have there been any special moments during your career?
Every time we put together an INDX furniture/bed show at AIS I consider this to be a special moment. The hours spent working towards these shows, the commitment from our suppliers, the AIS Teams involved and the feedback from Members gives us an immense feeling of pride and satisfaction. I have just calculated that I have been involved with around 90 furniture shows during my time at AIS and I still love working on them to this day!
What is your favourite item of furniture you own and why?
Has to be my bed! I have a sumptuous Relyon bed from their Royal Collection. You can never underestimate the need for and importance of a good night’s sleep.
What do you think is trending within the industry at present?
Smart furniture integration has really taken off recently, with furniture being further equipped with technology which enhances usability and functionality. Wellness integration is strong too. Furniture has adapted to customers’ lifestyles, tracking movements and preferences. We can already see this with smart mattresses monitoring sleep patterns, massage function in beds & chairs and the recent accelerated growth of heat functions within upholstery. Although, as I answer these questions in 31-degree heat, I think we could do with cooling functions in our office chairs – maybe one for the future!
In terms of design multifunctional and modular designs are growing as furniture works harder for the consumer. Reconfigurable sectional modular sofas allow greater flexibility dependent upon the occasion and the person’s lifestyle.
Many consumers continue to buy a neutral colour palette when it comes to upholstery, focusing on earthy tones including greens, rusts and browns. Patterns, textures and bolder colours are added in from accent pieces including cushions and rugs.
Promotional products remain important with consumers demanding higher quality customisable furniture, but also seeking a competitively priced option to match shrinking purchasing power as the economy toughens. Suppliers in this sector have a challenge to offer quality furniture at affordable prices, but are all working hard to adapt to this.
What would you change in the industry?
Review of the quantity of chemicals within products and a higher push towards recycling products and sustainably in general. Change in consumer perception, stop everything being centred around cost, it should be more about quality and longevity. And finally, more younger people entering the industry.
Can you share an insight into your future plans?
Working with suppliers and Members will continue to be paramount. Understanding the needs and wants of our Members, consumers and the market in general will remain at the forefront of everyday work life.
We continually look at trends to ensure we know what the market is going to do next. We are very fortunate to work with our trend agency, Scarlet Opus and to have so much data and knowledge available to us which we share with suppliers when developing new products. At each of our INDX shows we dedicate an area for the latest trends to share with members and visitors. Our latest trend “The Nurturers” will be on display at the next INDX furniture show on 27* & 28 August and is absolutely stunning (*member only day).
As a business we will continue with the expansion of INDX Trade Shows and look to develop further new product categories. Home Accessories will feature more heavily at the forthcoming August show with a fabulous offering from new supplier Gallery Direct and Trampoline.
There will be further work on own label collections, currently within furniture Dreamworld is our largest brand on beds.
What do you enjoy most outside of work / free time?
Spending quality time with my family and friends. I love the theatre too, favourite show has to be Moulin Rouge, my daughter and I have watched it too many times but can highly recommend it!
What might someone not know about you?
I have always had a secret (now not so secret) crush on Rowan Atkinson, especially from his appearances in the Blackadder series. I am yet to find anyone who understands or appreciates this!
If you had a different career, what would it be?
I would work for MI5 as a spy, travel the world, know the secrets and save the country from any harm. Although based on the above I would probably be more Johnny English than James Bond!
Finally, if you were an item of furniture, what would it be and why?
I would be an original Eames Chair, stylish, reliable, design led, iconic & timeless (well, we can all dream of being timeless!)
Five Fun qs:
1) If you could hack into any one computer, whose computer would you choose and why?
Donald Trump. I mean, what is going on in that man’s head? We need to get some form of understanding.
2) What fact amazes you every time you think of it? An adult human body contains about 60,000 miles of blood vessels. Freaky!
3) What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done? Paragliding in Corfu. I absolutely hate heights and not keen on deep water either. I got dared to do it by my husband of all people!
4) What is the most important object you own and why? Has to be my wedding video, it captures our day beautifully and is priceless. Those that know me know how important this day was to me and my family.
5) What did you think was cool when you were young but isn’t cool now? Everything 80’s fashion, including my vast array of Ra Ra skirts, pedal pushers, leg warmers and neon socks along with my mix tapes of the Thompson Twins and Nick Kershaw!
