Top departure triggers restructure at Vax

Vacuum specialist Vax is restructuring its marketing department after the departure of its head of international marketing, Alec Douglas.

Douglas’ job will not be filled. Marketing director Kim Rawson says his position will be expanded to cover the international sector while former Rank Xerox managing director Julian Stretch has been appointed as director of international operations.

Grocery product manager Jane Silk also leaves this week. The company will replace Silk and is looking to fill two new positions, a marketing controller and a new product development manager.

Rawson denies the job losses are due to the problems faced by the company in the past year.

Vax has been through “tough times”, but was simply reorganising the marketing division into a larger group instead of two departments, says Rawson.

In June, the company announced that 65 jobs at the Midland company were being axed to cut costs in the face of intense high-street competition.

The shake-up comes as Vax prepares to launch its first range of household vacuum cleaners in direct competition with Electrolux and Hoover.

The two-year plan to sell a lower cost vacuum cleaner without the usual Vax upholstery and carpet-washing facilities has been delayed due to “continuing problems within the electrical industry”, says Vax.

Its new range of upright vacuum cleaners will be launched in the next two weeks and includes a 500,000 advertising campaign, through Leagas Shafron Davis.