Marcus Goss controls a multi-million pound print spend, producing more than 2,000 jobs annually for Wolseley’s operations in the UK and Ireland.
He was brought on board in 2005 as the group’s first dedicated print manager after six years at the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) and a career before that as a printer.
Goss’s biggest responsibility is producing regular price guides for Wolseley’s various divisions, which include the Plumb Center and the Build Center, as well as bespoke marketing literature and brochures.
Among the main printers Goss uses are Taylor Bloxham, Artisan Press, Hawthornes and digital specialist Tangent Communications, although he says that he uses a number of smaller firms for standard jobbing work.
The roster was put in place after Goss streamlined the 40-strong list of suppliers he inherited in 2005, whittling it down to a small number of key suppliers all within an hour’s drive of Wolseley’s UK headquarters in Leamington Spa.
Goss is a great believer in developing long-term working relationships with printers. He says: “As the relationship grows, product knowledge becomes a major factor at all stages of production and suppliers are viewed as an extension of Wolseley.”
In line with his company’s environmental push, Goss is focusing on printing with a low carbon footprint, including producing several high-profile jobs on recycled material. “Brand managers were astonished that the quality had improved… We have now used several hundred tonnes,” he says.
WOLSELEY FACTFILE
Founded 1887
Worldwide locations 28 countries
Worldwide staff >80,000
Worldwide sales £14.1bn
UK print jobs per year around 2,000
Main print suppliers Hawthornes, Taylor Bloxham, Artisan Press, Tangent Communications
Source: Wolseley
Client audit Wolseley
Wolseley is one of the worlds biggest suppliers of construction materials and claims to be the planets number one in the professional heating and plumbing products market, not least thanks to its 5,000 retail outlets spanning 28 countries.
