In this months Reid ‘Day in the Life’ feature, our commercial manager Jon Street talks about his role in supply contract, his goals for the new year and which role he would try out for a day if he could! Read on to find out how Jon’s first 4 months at Reid have been.

Could you sum up your role at Reid in one sentence?

I manage the supply contract side of the business where we manufacture and supply brands for other companies. I also produce and oversee the company’s management information to ensure we have clear visibility of our sales and financial performance.

What tasks could you be doing during the day?

My day centres around working with clients to address their needs. This involves providing reviews of existing ranges prior to further development, identifying new market/model opportunities, working with our excellent product designer Leon to ensure products exceed expectations, arrange quotes on ranges, organise product samples, and finalise product orders with clients. You will also find me digging through data and doing market research to give insights into sales opportunities and enabling a clear understanding of our market position and company performance. Finally I will assist our marketing team with photoshoots and copywriting where needed. For someone who loves bikes this is one of my favourite areas to work in.

At Reid we are always striving to be better, what are your Reid goals for 2023?

My top business goals for 2023 would have to be securing exciting new clients for Reid, continuing to build a strong database of prospective clients, and assisting the marketing team in sharing tailored campaigns to Supply Contracts and redesigning the Supply Contract website section. Hopefully by the end of 2023, after implementing these goals, I will be able to welcome new team members to Reid and expand my corner of the team!

What is your favourite part of your job?

Without a doubt it’s the people. We have such a fantastic and competent team with so much to offer the industry. It’s so refreshing to be in such a collaborative environment where everyone is just the best at their job. We really work together to get things done and all have the desire to take our success to the next level. Then there are our partners (customers) who are equally as good to work with, our goals are concurrent and every time we gain a new partner it just feels like an extension of our team.

What are the biggest challenges you encounter and how do you overcome them?

There are current industry pressures involving overstock that are the same for everybody, this leads to additional pressure on us all. We work with our customers well in advance when developing ranges to mitigate as many of these issues as possible and ensure stock levels are well controlled and product is with customers when they need it. The main challenge, as with any sales role, is getting that initial ‘in’ to a customer and finding the right person to talk to. When we do make that initial contact the rest is history, our partner offer is second to none!

If you could try out another role at Reid for the day, what would it be and why?

Ok, I’ll pull no punches…. It would have to be that of our MD Rob. I love challenges and working with people to overcome theirs. I have really enjoyed my previous senior management roles, nurturing the environment, supporting the team, and always looking to ensure future growth and success for all. And, hey, Rob probably deserves a day off! But for now my current role has boundless opportunity and is very diverse so I’m more than happy where I am!

What new product/range/project/development is in the pipeline that you’re most excited about?

Product wise we have some awesome cargo bike developments on the go, as well as eFat bikes, plus new kids bikes that my two children will absolutely love. I’m looking forward to the cargo bikes to ease the school run and stop the parking nightmare! In the pipeline for supply contract projects, we have multiple conversations going with large outdoor retailers for private label manufacturing with samples on the way. We also have some cool smaller projects including a custom ‘build your own bike’ brand and cargo trailer that really show the diversity of our offer. Then there’s also Eurobike…… so much fun on the horizon!