Palace Chemicals, an independent manufacturer of tiling, building, construction and DIY products since 1978, has announced the appointment of several senior sales personnel. The appointees bring with them a combination of tile industry experience, contacts and knowledge, strengthening Palace Chemicals’ position in the market.
The company is also acquiring a number of former Norcros Adhesives brands. “Palace Chemicals is already one of the UK’s largest adhesives manufacturers,” the company says, “and the new acquisitions cement the Liverpool-based company’s position as a market leader in the tiling sector”.
The recently recruited members of the commercial sales team join Steve Ball, commercial director, and Simon Clough, sales director. These appointees are Graham Hayes, technical sales manager, who had previously been with Norcros Adhesives for 16 years. He believes that what he brings to his new role is: “Experience and technical capabilities. I’m a very social and very loyal person,” he says, “and I am looking forward to the new challenges. I have been doing this for so long, and I’m going in with customers I used to deal with, and looking for new customers again. It does give you that buzz, starting something new.”
Jon Hall, technical sales manager, also joins Palace after ten years at Norcros. “Bringing my involvement with specifications to the business will strengthen Palace’s growth in this area as well as driving the business further into the distribution market. I also have a great relationship with most contractors in the area, so will be capitalising on trade days and other events to ensure the success of my new position.”
Bethan Bright has also joined Palace from Norcros Adhesives, as reported in the May issue of TSJ. In this role she is responsible for sales across the Palace product range into key accounts within the tiling, DIY and builders’ merchant markets. Bright is a past finalist in The Tile Association Awards for Trainee of the Year.
“The new members of the team will help move the business forward” says Steve Ball, “They are joining an already successful and capable customer-facing team and will collectively help us continue to demonstrate the capability and quality that Palace Chemicals has proven to the market for well over forty years.”
Palace has acquired the Rock-Tite brand – which will continue as a system for fixing the increasingly popular 20mm porcelain tiles when used in external locations. Originally launched three years ago, Rock-Tite has already established a successful track record. The Pro Gyp-Base system for tiling over increasingly common anhydrite (calcium sulfate) screeds also joins the Palace line-up. It’s designed to greatly reduce the minimum drying times normally applicable for tiling over these types of screeds.
Palace has also acquired the Ultim8 brand and the NX brand. NX comprises a comprehensive range of tile adhesives, grouts and floor levelling products aimed primarily at the DIY market.
As a marketing-led business, Palace Chemicals is keen to keep its marketing communications up-to-date and effective. It has therefore retained tiling and flooring marketing communications agency, Smart Marketing Works, to handle its PR, strategy and other elements of the marketing mix.
“After 45 years in the business, Palace has proven its ability to continue to grow and develop,” says Charles Clapham, managing director. “I am really delighted, firstly that we are able to welcome some of the best-known and most competent sales professionals in the industry to join our extremely capable sales team and the wider Palace Team overall, and also that we have been able to expand the Palace product range with these exciting new product additions. This gives us a very strong basis for the next stage in the development of our company!”
