Leading KBB manufacturer and supplier, Hill’s Panel Products (HPP) has appointed Kevin Cashmore as its new National Sales Manager.
The appointment reunites Kevin with HPP’s Deputy MD Gareth Evans – the pair having worked together on two previous occasions over the past 25 years.
Kevin joins the family-owned business from Blackheath Products Ltd, where he was Senior Business Development Manager for 10 years.
He says: “Gareth and I first worked together at a timber and decorative products firm called FG Chambers in the late 90s, early 2000s, and then we went on to open a branch of a firm called Premier Forest Products, which was a timber merchants looking to get into decorative products, which Gareth and I both knew about.
“We’ve kept in touch over the years as we became friends as well as colleagues and when Gareth told me about the job at HPP, he explained where the company is at, where it wants to go, and how he needed a like-minded person to come on board and support them in everything this incredible company is working to achieve.”
Among a diverse range of duties, Kevin takes charge of HPP’s nationwide network of area sales managers as well as the office-based sales team at its Oldham HQ.
“I’ve been in the trade for a long time, and I’ve underestimated what HPP can offer,” adds Kevin. “We need to be shouting from the rooftops that it really is a one-stop-shop. We’ve got a great package with a great range of products and manufacturing facilities.
“But we can never stand still. Growth comes from more than one source – growing share of wallet, finding new customers and looking for new products and ranges to add to what we already have.”
HPP has been manufacturing and supplying board, doors, fittings and accessories for the fitted furniture industry, particularly kitchens and bedrooms, for the past 35 years.
Speaking about the KBB industry, Kevin says: “I think it is still in a difficult place. Covid had a massive impact in that four years’ worth of trade was squeezed into two-and-a-half years, giving a false sense of business. Since then, consumers haven’t spent as much, particularly because of the cost of living.
“That hits independent home showrooms, although the trade side, contractors, is doing much better because the large-scale projects are happening.
“I was at a trade merchants’ event earlier this year and the feeling was that the first half of 2025 would be tough, but the second half would pick up – they even came up with a throwaway slogan ‘Survive 25, get your kicks in 26’!”
Outside of work, Kevin and his wife Jenny are season ticket holders at Stoke City and sometimes travel to away games. They share a passion for gardening and attending live music gigs and festivals – the next one being the Tramlines Festival in Sheffield at the end of July.
