Welcome back to our blog! We can never go too long without a Meet our team post on our blog as there is so many legends we still need to introduce. We value our team highly and feel that everyone needs to be aware of the amazing people that are behind The Point.1888. Therefore, this week we are introducing to you our Head of Product and Brand, the lovely Janine Richmond.
Janine has been working at The Point.1888 now for nearly 3 years. She manages brands across Publishing, Entertainment and Design/Lifestyle, oversees our product development team and is responsible for a wide mix of product categories from Homeware, Arts & Crafts and Stationery to Gifting. An example of a hugely successful project Janine worked on here at The Point.1888 was the Yvonne Ellen range at John Lewis. Janine worked closely with Yvonne Ellen and John Lewis to develop a widely successful range of homeware, giftware and home fragrance products to develop Yvonne Ellen’s presence in the store, and what’s more, this is just one example of the amazing work Janine has done here at The Point.1888.
We thought we would catch up with Janine to learn more about what she does here at The Point.1888 and about her life. Here’s what she had to say:
Tell us a bit more about your career to date?
I guess everything started for me at University where I studied a Business and Marketing degree in Southampton. This led to a job in the Science Museum that related to my degree, however the job here was what first sparked my love for retail. My experience in retail started 15 years ago meaning I now have over 15 years of experience. A vast majority of this has been in head office positions and I absolutely love the career path I chose. I have worked for numerous companies over the years, including the Science Museum, John Lewis and Hobbycraft and have been at The Point.1888 now for nearly three years.
What is it about the licensing industry that you love?
I think the thing I love most about the licensing industry is that it is so fast-paced. I’m a massive fan of the process, I’ve always loved the buzz of bringing product ideas or concepts to life and then finally seeing those ranges launch into retail. I also love that the work here at The Point is so varied. Each brand we represent has different target markets and categories to explore which keeps things interesting and exciting. Just to prove my point, I actually found myself discussing potential opportunities across homeware, health and beauty and live theatre all in one morning recently – its so diverse! Not to mention its just an incredibly exciting and fun industry, I couldn’t pick an industry I would rather work in.
Tell us the best bit about working at The Point.1888?
Kindness has been at the heart of the business since it was first established, from how we communicate to the charities we support with the 11% of our profits we donate. The kindness of this business makes everyone who works here extremely proud to be a part of something so amazing. We now even have a ‘Happy & Kind’ meetings where we share stories, good news, give secret shout outs to members of our team, announcements, promotions, new hires, smiles, laughs and games. All of these things make the working environment here at The Point enjoyable, so it feels like we have a real community here.
What might we find you doing in your spare time?
I love being outside and in the fresh air. In my spare time you will most likely find me getting lost on long family walks in the New Forest or taking trips to the beach for beautiful coastal walks.
What are you excited about for 2021?
I think that, like everyone now, the thing I am longing for most out of 2021 is get togethers with family and friends and finally being able to socialise with the people we love again! I’m also excited for sunnier days and hopefully more opportunities for travel this year.
If you want to hear more about what Janine does here at The Point.1888, head over to her LinkedIn.