30 Years On: A Q&A with Karl Yewdall

This September marks 30 years with the company for Karl Yewdall and to celebrate, we sat down with him for a quick Q&A to look back on three decades of change. Karl joined us back in 1996 and has been a huge asset to the company, seeing it grow, change and evolve. in the past three decades – delete.

When you started 30 years ago, what did a typical day look like — and what would surprise your younger self most about how we work now?

The product range was a lot smaller back in 1996, and most of the paperwork was hand-written. Now it’s all computer generated.

What’s one thing about this company that has stayed exactly the same, even as everything else changed?

Other than product improvements over the years, our GLASShelf unit (the product the company was founded on) still offers all the same hygiene benefits it did back in 1996.

How has the industry itself shifted? What did the hospitality market look like back then versus now?

It was mainly pubs and clubs in the 1990s.  Now there are cocktail bars, coffee bars, rooftop bars; bars for every occasion.

What’s the best part of the job today that simply didn’t exist when you started?

The introduction of the forklift truck in 2007 let us start storing at height. That meant we could hold more stock in the same warehouse space as the company grew.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone joining today who might also still be here in 30 years, what would it be?

If they were working with me, I’d tell them to make notes on memo pads. it’s the best way to make sure you remember everything you need to do.