JML Direct Q&A

DO you own a Nicer Dicer, Super Slicer, Snuggie, Ped Egg or a Hands Free Can Opener?

JML home shopping items have been creeping in to homes and gardens across 72 countries for the last 40 years. Their aim? To provide solutions for problems – many of which you may not have even known you had until now.

“Our product development team receives on average 20 new ideas and product designs a week. The most amazing was a steam free mirror and the most unusual was a roll-up pedestrian crossing like a yoga mat which you place across a road anytime you want to cross.”

But when that voice kicks in, telling you of a contraption that will julienne cucumbers 28 times per second, the next thing you know you’re saying: “Thanks, bye,” and putting the phone down with your bank card in the other hand.

Shark Steam Power MopIt seems there isn’t an area of the home JML can’t provide a time-saving plastic gadget for. A secret guilty pleasure for the majority of you who will deny owning (or wanting) a device for super-speedy onion dicing, you can’t knock the inventive imaginations and buoyant selling skills of this family-orientated, very British company.

This July, JML celebrates its 25th anniversary. We quizzed brand manager Dearbhla MacFadden on the company that’s got us all drilling, slicing and grating like lunatics...

What was the first product JML came up with 25 years ago?

John Mills started JML by demonstrating his woodwork vice at the Ideal Home Show 25 years ago. At one stage he had 17 stands at the exhibition. Thinking of a more efficient way to demonstrate the products he devised the concept of in-store TV demos and found that sales of the advertised product increased by almost 400 per cent than if it had simply sat unpromoted on the shelves. This model has proven so successful that JML has rolled out 7,000 screens to 4,000 stores in the UK.  

The company launched in 1986 in a basement of John’s house in Camden and he still manages the company today.

What does your job entail?

Ped EggThe most important element of brand management is to make sure our customers value our products and are satisfied, and I constantly look at research to understand trends in the market and future forecasts.

What’s your favourite product, past or present?

At the moment my favourite products are my Ped Egg and Pampered Toes. I love skyscraper heels so I put on Pampered Toes in the evenings if I’ve been on my feet all day. As I walk to work every day, my feet are in really bad condition so I use Heeltastic to restore any dry skin.

How many JML products do you actually have in your house?

Paint Sprayer ProI love making cupcakes so I have a Big Top Cupcake at home. For the 25^th birthday celebration in July, I’m making a huge cupcake for everyone in the office. 

Because I’m a demon for slouching over my computer in work, I use a Sit Right to improve my posture and of course I have a Snuggie to keep me warm and cosy during the cold winters.

Is it all multi-tools and onion choppers or are there products people might not be aware of?

Not a lot of people know our Fast Fit Ironing Board Cover is in 14 million homes in the UK and is one of our best selling products of all time. We’ve just launched a new range of designs including cherries and cow print too.

How do you find all these products? Is it like Dragons Den?

We have a dedicated product development team whose role is to find and develop new products. They attend trade shows around the world and study market trends and forecasts to determine new products on the horizon. Often suppliers or inventors will approach us with new ideas and if they fit our demographic and meet our quality assurance tests, we’ll work with them to design the product.

What weird and wonderful ideas have you been pitched in the past?

SnuggieOur product development team receives on average 20 new ideas and product designs a week. The most amazing was a steam-free mirror and the most unusual was a roll-up pedestrian crossing like a yoga mat which you place across a road anytime you want to cross. It’s inspiring to receive such fascinating ideas on a daily basis.

You advertise for product testers. Sounds like the best job in the world. Is there a catch?

No catch at all. It’s a win-win situation for us, as customers enjoy testing our new products before they hit the market and we receive feedback to improve ranges and make the best product possible before we roll out nationally.

Can you give us a heads up on any new and exciting stock coming in this summer?

We are currently working with Jerome Alexander on a range of mineral make-up using Italian marble elements, and a lash extending mascara which will be launched in Asda in June. We’re really excited about this new brand as all our product testers have absolutely loved it.

Home shopping tends to be widely regarded as things no one really needs, yet many of us have bought an item at some point. Why can’t we get enough of home shopping?

Super SlicerPeople can shop at their own time and convenience in the comfort of their own home. They are under no pressure to purchase and don’t have to look for a parking space. Many people say they appreciate the ease of home delivery which allows them to order as many items as they can afford without worrying about how they will transport them home.

 TV, online and catalogue shopping. What next – a portal to a whole world of JML?

Twenty-five years ago, John Mills could never have dreamed he would have a team of more than 300 people, offices around the world in Singapore, USA and Germany, and thousands of products sold in hundreds of stores. Who knows what another 25 years will bring?