Ultimate Products appoints new chief executive

Ultimate Products, which is headquartered at Manor Mill in Chadderton, in Oldham, has appointed Simon Harrison as chief executive following a search process, with the experienced FMCG leader set to join the business later this year.

Simon will join the company, which is the owner of leading homeware brands including Salter and Beldray, as chief executive designate in September before formally taking over the chief executive role in October.

He joins from Princes Group, where he currently serves as chief executive, having previously held senior leadership positions at Coca-Cola European Partners during a career spanning more than 25 years in brand marketing, sales, operations and commercial leadership.

Simon said: “Ultimate Products is a business with significant potential, based on a portfolio that includes some of the best-known brands in UK homeware, and supported by long-standing customer relationships and a scalable commercial model. 

“I am delighted to be taking on the chief executive role from Andrew Gossage, who alongside Simon Showman, has built and developed the business into the strong platform it is today. 

“This represents an exciting personal opportunity for me, and I look forward to working with the Board and the wider team to lead the business into what I am confident will be a bright future.”

Simon succeeds Andrew Gossage, who is stepping down after more than two decades in executive roles with the business. 

Following a sabbatical, Andrew will return to the group as a non-executive director in 2027.

Andrew added: “Ultimate Products has been a hugely important part of my life for the past two decades, and I am enormously proud of the successful, diversified business we have built. 

“As chief executive, part of my focus has been to ensure the business is well prepared for the future, including putting in place the right leadership, structure and succession plan to support its long-term development.

“With those strong foundations now established, this feels like the right time for me to step back from my day-to-day responsibilities and, after a short break, take on a non-executive director role with the Group. 

“I would like to thank colleagues past and present whose commitment has made my time at Ultimate Products so rewarding.” 

The leadership changes also see company founder Simon Showman move to a non-executive director position while continuing as president and founder.

Simon Showman added: “I am hugely excited about the next phase for Ultimate Products.

“The business has a strong executive team in place, with the ability to continue delivering the wide range of beautiful, more sustainable products we are known for. 

“I am also delighted to welcome Simon Harrison to the business as our first external chief executive. 

“His FMCG leadership experience makes him ideally placed to build on the momentum we have created. 

“I am also pleased to remain involved with the Group as a non-executive director, and look forward to seeing our excellent team realise the substantial opportunity ahead.”

Ultimate Products owns a portfolio of household brands including Salter, Beldray, Progress, Kleeneze and Russell Hobbs licence products, supplying major retailers in the UK and internationally.

Christine Adshead, chair of Ultimate Products, added: “We are delighted to welcome someone of Simon Harrison’s calibre to Ultimate Products. 

“He brings outstanding leadership qualities, strong operating discipline and considerable commercial experience, and we are confident that he has the right credentials to take Ultimate Products forward into its next chapter. 

“We look forward to welcoming him to the team.

“Andrew has made an extraordinary contribution to Ultimate Products in more than two decades with the Group. 

“He was a driving force behind UP’s evolution from a sourcing business into the Home of Brands, navigated the business through the operational challenges of the COVID period, and played a leading role in building the Group’s online business, which has grown twelvefold since IPO. 

“He was also central in establishing our graduate development scheme, and more recently, has overseen the Group’s groundbreaking automation programme. 

“Without Simon Showman, who founded the business and led it for 27 years, there would be no Ultimate Products. 

“He has been fundamental to UP’s development from a founder‑led sourcing business into the multi‑brand homewares group it is today. 

“Simon’s entrepreneurial approach and sharp commercial instincts have shaped the business and the fast-moving culture that underpins it. 

“Under his leadership, the Group built a diversified portfolio of brands, established deep and enduring retailer relationships, and expanded its international footprint, while remaining rooted in the values and ambition that have defined it from the outset.

“I know I speak for everyone at Ultimate Products in thanking Andrew and Simon for their exceptional endeavours, dedication and loyalty, and we are delighted that they will remain with the Group as non-executive directors.”

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