NEW YORK— For more than 20 years, Alex Lee, president of Oxo, has been a fixture with the company and within the housewares industry. Since joining Oxo in 1994 as national sales manager, Lee’s professional growth has mirrored that of the company, which now has annual sales of $311 million.
Recently, Oxo’s parent company, Helen of Troy, announced that Lee would be retiring effective June of 2017. Larry Witt, currently Oxo’s evp/sales and marketing, will replace Lee.
Since joining the company in its early days, Lee has been an integral part of Oxo’s growth. Starting with an assortment of gadgets and kitchen tools, the company’s assortment today includes hundreds of SKUs that include small electrics, storage and baby products, while also expanding the brand to cookware and bakeware.
In an interview with HOMEWORLD BUSINESS®, Lee talked about his decision to retire, his years with Oxo and what may be next for the housewares industry veteran.
HomeWorld Business: Why have you decided to retire from Oxo now?
Alex Lee: I’m not sure if there is such a thing as a good time to retire, but I have been running this company for more than 20 years and frankly surprised to have stayed in one place for such a long time. On a personal level, my daughter is only going to be home for another four years and I think it’s a good time to spend more time with my family.
HWB: Within Oxo, what are some of the biggest changes during your time with the company?
AL: I personally crave to always make life interesting and we have managed the company through different sets of corporate parents, having to prepare for the sale and transitioning to a new company. Through it all we have expanded into a number of different categories. For example, Oxo entering the baby products category was driven by the fact that we have had 25 babies born to people in our office. Many were continually nit-picking the baby products that were on the market. We saw this as an opportunity to develop items that would better meet their needs.
HWB: What have been the biggest changes at retail?
AL: Clearly it has been the Internet. When I first joined Oxo, my company e-mail was through AOL. But over the past 20 years, the Internet has been the biggest driver in retail. Not only has it changed how people buy products, it has also changed how consumers search for information. Amazon is now clearly a force to be reckoned with and other retailers are working to catch up.
HWB: The housewares industry
as a whole has also evolved during your time at Oxo. What stands out most to you?
AL: When I first came on board at Oxo, frankly, gadgets was not a branded category like kitchen electrics or cookware. We started with $6 items and have worked our way to now carrying products outside of the gadgets category that are priced at $300. In addition, design and function have a much bigger role in the industry. Apple, for example, built the most valuable company in the world based on a strategy of design and function. We’ve tried to do the same at Oxo.
HWB: Over the years you have talked about “keeping Oxo Oxo” and maintaining an entrepreneurial spirit. How have you managed to do that?
AL: We wanted to build what I’ll call a flat company. Many years ago, we had a consultant come in and very quickly realized we were creating silos between sales, marketing and engineering and having people e-mail each other when they were sitting two cubicles over from each other. We then created a team-based structure that allow teams to more easily work together during the product development process.
HWB: What’s next for you?
AL: I have no plans to start another company or join another company. I have a two-year non-compete with Helen of Troy. I’ll take some time off and pursue some hobbies and enjoy my time at home. I’ll do that for a while until I get bored.