Following another year of expansion for the Newton Aycliffe-based craft company, Crafter’s Companion has appointed Ross Brown as its new Head of Commercial to help drive its continued commercial success.
Crafter’s Companion saw a sales growth of 38% over 2018, with an export sales growth of 59%. With its global employee count now standing at 180 strong, the award-winning craft supplies company is primed to continue leading the craft market with this new appointment.
Crafter’s Companion founder, Sara Davies MBE, said, “I have known and worked with Ross for a number of years now, so I know he is the perfect fit for our company’s ethos. His ideas and understanding that we place the consumer at the heart of our business, as well as his vast range of experience in the craft sector, means that he is well placed to share our company’s vision. I’m thrilled that he will be joining the company and helping us to continue our growth strategy.”
Ross will be relocating to Durham for this role, and will bring a strong knowledge of the UK craft market and years of experience in the TV shopping and e-commerce sectors from roles at Ideal World, Bid-Up TV and Hochanda. His key achievements include helping to launch Hochanda TV and establishing it as a major TV player with a profitable status within the space of three years.
Ross said, “I am extremely excited to be offered the opportunity to join Crafter’s Companion. Having worked indirectly with a number of the team, it is a privilege to now be directly part of such a dynamic and successful company. It is clear that Crafter’s Companion cares about the crafting community and helps to drive industry innovation and standards forward in such a positive direction, something I’m looking forward to being a part of.
“My priority is to lead by example and to invest my time and knowledge to develop and support the whole team. My main aim is to ensure we continue to drive the global company forward, and I look forward to working with Sara, Simon and the board to increase the success of Crafter’s Companion.”
Crafter’s Companion opened two retail stores in Newton Aycliffe and Chesterfield during 2016, and a further store at Evesham in 2017, to complement its presence online and in thousands of retail stores across the world.
