Page 19 - BOSS Today Issue 14

60 second interview

Getting the local view

Alan Ball, chief executive of Spicers, is the new chairman

of the BOSS Federation, a post he will hold for two years

What do you see as your Late payments is another given all the glory – we are just
priorities while you are critical issue. How would you providing warehousing for this
chairman? like to see that resolved? scheme. But I hope we will carry
I want to engage more with local I would like to see fixed payment on supporting it. It is a great cause.
dealers. BOSS has strong links with terms like they have in Europe. We waste an awful lot of product
the wholesalers and large dealers, Introducing them has worked very in the UK education sector, and it
but BOSS also has a part to play in well in France. It means everyone is important that we should send
working with smaller dealers. That is in the same position when it it instead to people who have a
is why at our next board meeting I comes to payment. Believe me, need for it. Nor does it have to be
want to pull together the regional this is something we can lobby focused on Africa. We can send
committees so that Michael for. I have lobbied in the past. I product to deprived communities
Gardner and myself can engage was non-executive director of the in this country.
more with them. We have a good Builder’s Merchants’ Federation,
track record in running evening and our board lobbied hard to How will you combine your
and charity events, but not all small bring in the boiler scrappage role at BOSS with your role
dealers can afford the time and scheme because many people at Spicers?
resources to come along to those were using inefficient boilers. As I take my Spicers hat off as soon as I
events. So I would like to see, for a result of that the proportion of walk into the BOSS boardroom.
example, more breakfast meetings people installing efficient boilers
that they could engage with, and went virtually overnight from the n For more inFormation
more events that are more focused late 20s to over 80 per cent. We visit www.spicers.co.uk
on growing the business. In can do something similar with late or www.bossfederation.co.uk.
economic tough times like this it is payments. It is possible.
important that we all pull together.
Do you think BOSS has a
The price of paper is distinct identity from its
currently a hot issue sister organisation the BPIF?
among printers. Do you Yes. Some people think the BPIF
see it affecting office and BOSS have become merged
dealers as well? together, but they haven’t. BOSS is
Yes I do. Every industry has a probably more focused at the local
product that has been ruthlessly business end. It needs to plough
commoditised and the price of its own furrow.
which people fight over. In the
building trade where I used to Spicers has provided the
work it was copper tube. At Spicers warehousing for BOSS’s
we find it puzzling because we project with Angela Rippon
are told that paper and print are sending stationery to Africa,
in decline, yet we see that our would you like to see that
catalogue business remains strong continue?
and if anything is growing. I don’t want Spicers to be

Alan Ball at a glance

Alan started his career at light manufacturer FKI in Halifax, where he worked for 15 years, becoming managing director.
He then went to work in the USA and China, and joined GE as managing director of one of its divisions. He led an MBO that
took that division out of GE, and subsequently sold it on. He then joined building and plumbing supply company Wolseley as
managing director of three of its divisions, and was subsequently headhunted to be PLC director of building supply company
BSS Group. His move to Spicers came four years later, when he was headhunted by George Adams, who had seen what Alan
was capable of when he ran BSS’s competitor Screwfix. Last year Alan was part of a team that bought Spicers from its previous
owners with backing from venture capitalists.

September/October 2012 | BOSS TODAY 25