Meet the team – Simon

This week, we’re speaking to our sales director, Simon Coldrick, about his day-to-day life in the Cobus office.

 

What is your name and role at Cobus?

My name is Simon Coldrick, and I’m the sales director here at Cobus.

 

How long have you been working at Cobus?

I have been working here for approximately 32 years.

 

Tell us about your background, and how you got to where you are now.

I joined the business when I left school in 1987. My father owned it, and was running it single-handed up until then. In those days, the majority of our market comprised of second hand office furniture; however, it built up a very valuable client base, some of which we still have today. By the mid 1990s, we had converted to working with all new office furniture, expanding our client and supplier bases rapidly whilst using the great customer service values that we started with. It’s still very much the same today!

 

In the early 2000s, we could see a general market shift towards favouring a ‘one shop’ or turnkey supplier who would carry out all of the interior fitout needs, as well as furniture. From that point, I tended to push towards selling complete projects, involving bespoke and unique solutions. Slowly, over the years and through recessions, we expanded into who we are today through diversifying and moving with the market, whilst embracing change and becoming the exciting and happy team that makes Cobus so successful!

 

Tell us more about the day-to-day tasks that your role involves.

My daily role includes continually looking for new clients, in addition to fresh opportunities within our existing client base. I’m also responsible for keeping an eye on the general sales effort. I enjoy combining my experience and overall product knowledge with the ideas of our new and younger team members, which helps to keep Cobus ahead of the game!

 

What are your favourite parts of the job?

I particularly love winning new clients, new projects and having the opportunity to meet new people.

 

What’s the most interesting thing that’s happened in your job?

Having the opportunity to travel to many different countries in Europe and America on a number of occasions to source new suppliers and products, whilst being able to learn about and experience different cultures.

 

Tell us about your favourite project that you’ve worked on.

We’ve carried out a number of refurbishment projects at Honda UK. It’s always a very fascinating place to work with great people – and it’s fun to see the hundreds of Honda Civics coming off the production line each day!

 

Do you have any top tips for those looking to re-design their workspace?

My top tip would be: don’t be afraid to embrace change. Strive to make your workplace more homely – make it a place that your staff will want to get up for and travel to in the mornings. It may seem costly and perhaps above the ideal budget – but remember, there’s no place like home and if your workplace reflects that environment, both you and your staff will love going to work!

 

Currently, what are the most popular design trends that you’ve been working on?

We’ve been placing emphasis on collaborative working – making sure to take touchdown meetings and task areas away from the desk. We’ve also transformed our working environments by replacing our old fluorescent lights to LED lighting.

 

What makes Cobus so unique?

We take care to listen to and collaborate with clients, before working on their workspace goals, providing them with solutions that they won’t find elsewhere. We endeavour to make things happen with bespoke designs, products and dynamic ideas. In today’s world, people want more than just standard items that can be purchased from interior catalogues or online shops; they want to deal with a great team of people – and that’s exactly what Cobus is!