Ultimate Products, the Oldham-based owner of leading homeware brands including Salter (the UK’s oldest housewares brand, established in 1760) and Beldray, has named current Princes chief exec Simon Harrison as its new CEO, following a thorough search process, with shares bouncing 10% this morning on the announcement.
Harrisom will join Ultimate Products from the FTSE250-listed food and drinks giant as CEO designate on 5 September 2026, before fully assuming the role on 26 October 2026.
He is a seasoned executive with over 25 years’ FMCG commercial and leadership experience across brand and trade marketing, sales and operations. He joined Princes Group as chief commercial officer in July 2021, before quickly progressing to the role of deputy managing director and subsequently chief executive officer, during which time the business went through a change of ownership and was listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Prior to joining Princes Group, Harrison spent nearly two decades at Coca Cola European Partners (LSE: CCEP), the world’s largest independent Coca-Cola bottler, where he held a range of senior roles including vice president commercial development and marketing director.
READ MORE: “Far more than a logo” – Chester looks to future with bold branding project
Harrison is replacing Andrew Gossage, who has notified the board of his intention to step down as CEO with effect from 26 October 2026, following more than 20 years in executive roles with the group. After a short sabbatical, Andrew will continue as a non-executive director from 1 May 2027.
As part of the changes, Simon Showman, who founded the business in 1997 and served as CEO until 2024, will move to a non-executive director role with effect from 1 June 2026, while continuing as president and founder.
Following the changes, the board will comprise two executive directors and six non-executive directors, of whom four are independent non-executive directors, including the independent non-executive chair.
This will ensure the board continues to reflect a diversity of expertise from operational, financial, sector-specific and general business background.
Christine Adshead, chair of Ultimate Products, said: “We are delighted to welcome someone of Simon Harrison’s calibre to Ultimate Products. He brings outstanding leadership qualities, strong operating discipline and considerable commercial experience, and we are confident that he has the right credentials to take Ultimate Products forward into its next chapter. We look forward to welcoming him to the team.
“Andrew has made an extraordinary contribution to Ultimate Products in more than two decades with the Group. He was a driving force behind UP’s evolution from a sourcing business into the Home of Brands, navigated the business through the operational challenges of the COVID period, and played a leading role in building the Group’s online business, which has grown twelvefold since IPO. He was also central in establishing our Graduate Development Scheme, and more recently, has overseen the Group’s groundbreaking automation programme.
“Without Simon Showman, who founded the business and led it for 27 years, there would be no Ultimate Products. He has been fundamental to UP’s development from a founder‑led sourcing business into the multi‑brand homewares group it is today. Simon’s entrepreneurial approach and sharp commercial instincts have shaped the business and the fast-moving culture that underpins it. Under his leadership, the Group built a diversified portfolio of brands, established deep and enduring retailer relationships, and expanded its international footprint, while remaining rooted in the values and ambition that have defined it from the outset.”
Incoming CEO Harrison added: “Ultimate Products is a business with significant potential, based on a portfolio that includes some of the best-known brands in UK homeware, and supported by long-standing customer relationships and a scalable commercial model. I am delighted to be taking on the CEO role from Andrew Gossage, who alongside Simon Showman, has built and developed the business into the strong platform it is today. This represents an exciting personal opportunity for me, and I look forward to working with the Board and the wider team to lead the business into what I am confident will be a bright future.”
Gossage, the outgoing CEO of Ultimate Products, said: “Ultimate Products has been a hugely important part of my life for the past two decades, and I am enormously proud of the successful, diversified business we have built. As CEO, part of my focus has been to ensure the business is well prepared for the future, including putting in place the right leadership, structure and succession plan to support its long-term development. With those strong foundations now established, this feels like the right time for me to step back from my day-to-day responsibilities and, after a short break, take on a Non-Executive Director role with the Group. I would like to thank colleagues past and present whose commitment has made my time at Ultimate Products so rewarding.”
