David Algar appointed group chief executive at Hozelock

[PRESS RELEASE] DAVID ALGAR APPOINTED GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE AT HOZELOCK David Algar has been appointed Group Chief Executive of Hozelock, the market-leading manufacturer of garden watering, spraying and aquatics equipment and Tricoflex industrial hoses. Mr Algar, 49, has extensive marketing and senior management experience in fast-moving consumer goods having been General Manager for ICI Paints with responsibility for Dulux. Most recently he was Regional Vice President for Danone Babyfoods throughout Northern Europe and Latin America. He succeeds Steve Hall who has presided over a period of rapid growth at Hozelock which in the past year has seen the Birmingham-based company increase its turnover to over £90m. Mr Hall, 58, is retiring from full-time management duties to take on some non-executive directorships in the consumer goods sector. The new Group CEO arrives just as Hozelock has launched a strong new brand identity at the GAFA garden trade fair in Cologne and a raft of new products, including larger 30m and 40m versions of its popular award-winning AutoReel hose storage system with automatic rewind technology. “It is exciting to be joining a business with great momentum in the UK and with such a strong team,” said Mr Algar. “It’s a really solid platform that we can build on to accelerate our growth not only in the UK but also in our international markets. “We continue to invest successfully, not only in new product development but also in the UK in customer service, TV advertising, sales promotion and many layers of demand creation,” he went on, “and we can adapt that proven model to grow our business in Continental Europe.” He also sees opportunities to develop new markets in the UK and internationally by profiting from the successful B2B model developed by Hozelock-Tricoflex for its class-leading technical and industrial hose products. A family man with two children, Mr Algar holds a degree in economics and a post graduate qualification in marketing. He is looking forward to working with Peter Rush (Managing Director, Hozelock), Martin Wood (Group Financial Director), Fabrice Doosterlink (Managing Director, Tricoflex) and what he describes as “an exceptional management team in a business with huge potential.” Group Chairman, Simon Laffin, commented: “Steve Hall has made a tremendous contribution to Hozelock and we will miss him greatly. I wish him all the best in his new portfolio career. We look forward to working with David Algar, who will continue the growth of this business and also, I’m sure, bring new dimensions as well.” http://www.hozelock.com

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