Vorwerk, one of the world’s largest household appliance
producers, is seeking to recruit new candidates to sell products via its direct
selling model across the country, with an initial focus on Surrey and the West
Midlands.Vorwerk UK Kobold Division will be
based in Leatherhead, Surrey and is projecting a turnover in excess of £9
million over five years. The launch of
Vorwerk UK will be advised by Eric McClenaghan, the former Chief Executive and
owner of the UK division of global direct sales cosmetics company Oriflame, who
was responsible for turning around the direct sales business, achieving 25pc
growth per year over four consecutive years.
Vorwerk’s cleaning systems will be sold through party plan
demonstrations by self-employed Sales Advisors and Team Leaders, and the
upright Kobold VK150 vacuum cleaner will be the first product on offer by the
company’s team in the UK. Vorwerk’s
direct selling model saw the company enjoy significant growth in 2013 – in the
130th year of its history – with the Italian Kobold market
(known locally as ‘Folletto’), reporting the highest sales totalling €498
million, and other countries including France and Spain, reporting double digit
growth.Globally, 12,545 people are directly
employed by The Vorwerk Group with a team of 622,200 self-employed Sales
Advisors generating sales of €3.1 billion last year across 70 countries.
McClenaghan will oversee the launch of Vorwerk UK’s Kobold
Division as it re-establishes its presence in the UK. He says: “We have
ambitious plans for Vorwerk in the UK and are confident that we can replicate
the success of Vorwerk’s European direct sales model here.The direct sales industry has continued to grow
in the UK despite the recession. According to the Direct Selling Association
(DSA), there are over 400,000 direct sellers in the UK and the industry is
worth in excess of £2 billion to the UK economy. More and more people are turning
to direct selling as an alternative to traditional employment.I’m confident that Vorwerk’s flexible working
model and progression opportunities will ensure that we hit our targets of
having generated 500 direct sales roles with a projected turnover in excess of
£9 million by the end of our fifth year in the UK market.”
Vorwerk UK Kobold Division kicked off its recruitment drive
with a multi-channel campaign last month which will be instrumental in building
the company’s network of self-employed Sales Advisors and Team Leaders in the
UK. The ongoing recruitment campaign aims to recruit highly motivated
individuals who are ‘looking to work the hours they wish whilst being able to
deliver exceptional sales results with excellent opportunities to earn’, according
to McClenaghan.
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