Automatic Retailing: Steve Reynolds has left one great team – and joined another.
The hugely experienced sales and new business striker departs from Vendman, for whom he scored a prodigious number of goals, and transfers to Automatic Retailing where, once again, he’ll be up front and expected to find the back of the net.
‘So’, I ask him, ‘is this the vending equivalent of Van Persie eschewing Highbury for the allure of the Theatre of Dreams?’, which gets a laugh from the Big Fella… ‘If you mean is this one final big move before they put me out to grass, then the answer is ‘no’’, he says. ‘What it is, is a massive opportunity for me, one I decided I couldn’t turn down. As you know, I’ve been in the vending industry for twenty-eight years and I’ve known John (Crichton) and the people at AR for most of them.
‘In my opinion, Automatic Retailing, like Vendman, is far and away the leader in its market sector; but this move takes me back to my roots, if you like. I spent a lot of time at Britvic and then with Tayto before I got into vending software, so I feel I have a lot of knowledge that’s been on the back burner while I was at Vendman. I’m looking forward to calling upon my wider experience and helping to drive AR forward.’
AR’s acquisition of one of the best-known faces in vending is, perhaps no surprise to industry pundits: the company has been adding new business at a rate of knots in recent months and tried and trusted, expert manpower to serve customers old and new has become a priority. On the face of it, Steve is the perfect fit.
‘There’ll be no learning curve with Steve joining us’, John Crichton agreed. ‘He knows the industry and just as important, the industry knows him. What’s more, he’s an effervescent personality with all the qualities we need to be able to open new doors in the Foodservice sector.’
Steve takes the title ‘National Account Manager’ and he’ll operate for the Tyneside company from his home base in Tamworth, Staffordshire. ‘My remit is a mixture of account management and new business acquisition’, he said. ‘It’s a role that will take me all over the country.’
No changes there, then…
All of us at PV wish Steve every success in his new role.
IR-Y
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