LED display manufacturer, Absen, has re-hired Ben Phelps as its retail industry director. In his new role, which is effective immediately, Phelps’ focus will be on developing retail opportunities in Europe, as well as supporting Absen sales teams and systems integrators worldwide.
“A lot of the major retailers, particularly sportswear, fashion brands and car manufacturers, all have headquarters in Europe, so we know there is plenty of opportunity to grow Absen’s burgeoning retail portfolio. Thanks to my time in the region – and with local companies like Trison – I already have great relationships with a lot of very capable local integrators.”
Phelps started in the LED industry though his time with Spanish systems integrator, Trison. He explained: “The company only had 15 employees when I first arrived and focused primarily on audio integration projects. Through its dealings with fashion retailer Inditex, Trison became involved in selling LED into the industry; a decision that eventually saw 5,000 LED screens being sold to stores in 100 countries. After that, they never really looked back.”
Phelps was chosen to run the LED department, with his main job being to coordinate the Inditex LED rollout from the very beginning, and at the same time to help educate the retail industry about the benefits of LED over LCD or projection – neither of which were always best suited to the retail environment.
“That time was very demanding, as we had to learn some things the hard way,” said Phelps. “We were looking to expand internationally, so logistics were of critical importance. We decided to go with Absen all those years ago because they had the clearest idea of what we needed and the best explanation of how it could be achieved.”
The strength of this relationship saw Phelps moving to Absen for nine months in 2016, before returning to Trison in 2017 as commercial director. After a six month sabbatical, Phelps was approached by Absen again for his expertise, and he was happy to oblige.
“it’s an honour for me to be able to return to a company that I respect so much, and a company that has been at the forefront of the LED industry for many years,” he concluded. “I have full confidence in the products that we are offering and I’m sure Absen has a very bright future, I will do my very best to make sure that the retail industry forms part of the success of the company.”
