Matthew Moulding LinkedIn Post24 Mar 2023 09:25
I barely travel with work, despite THG having operations all over the world. In fact, I don’t travel much at all.
I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been to London in the past 3 years, never mind our operations in Australia, US, Europe etc. This probably explains why we have such a big tech campus in Manchester, and countless other activities in the area. If it can be done close to where me and the senior team are based, then that’s what we do.
When I do travel, it’s usually for holidays, and almost always to the same places. Early 20s life might have played a part. The internet was barely used in the 90s, and so I’ve fond memories of going on Teletext (kind of like internet in your TV) to find a budget holiday that friends and I could afford.
Teletext had pages of holidays to Spain, Tenerife or Corfu for £200-£300, including flights, transfers and a “mystery” hotel. Upon landing, a coach would fill up with hopeful 18-30s, before making drop-offs at various dubious hotels. I learned early on that "mystery" things tend to be a disappointment......
It was meant to be an exciting lottery, but our names were only ever called outside run-down apartment blocks - not the fancy hotels in brochures. Still, as a boy from Colne in Lancashire, the novelty factor was exciting enough.
This picture isn't from our "hotel". None of us have any pics of the accommodation from our Teletext holidays - we did our best to stay away. The picture is from a pool bar, 10 minutes walk from the bug-infested apartment block where we stayed in Corfu (Summer 2002).
These early holiday scars have stayed with me. Now with a few kids in tow, I avoid gambling on holidays.
I find travelling increasingly stressful as I get older – busy places, wasted days, jet lag, and the rise of Zoom calls, makes it all too easy to run THG from Manchester. But I’m starting to think this needs to change.
Every day I’m increasingly reminded of how global THG has become. Social media is great for this. Japan, South Korea and other Asian countries are important markets for Myprotein. At the end of last year, we launched a single chocolate protein drink across 15,500 FamilyMart Co.,Ltd. stores in Japan via a licensing deal. It's the only place you can buy this product.
On the first day it sold 22,000 units and continued from there. Naturally the relationship has expanded, and similar steps have been taken in other countries.
While this individual partnership won’t be particularly material to THG, it's been fantastic in further building the Myprotein brand across the region. Partnerships like these are important steps in building out a truly global brand.
My lack of travel experience means I’d never previously heard of FamilyMart Co.,Ltd., or the insane number of stores they have in Japan. And so, I’ve made a promise to myself, and the family, to get out of my comfort zone and travel more.
Japan here we come ?
#LifeExperiences #weareTHG #partnerships
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