Peter Watts Designs

Since its inception in 1977, Peter Watts Designs (PWD) have been creating concepts for new catalogue shopping ventures across the world. PWD supports these concepts with creative and design, plus merchandise sourcing from the Far East in particular.

Today, all its energy goes into Direct Group.

PWD is based at a beautiful river town in England, between London and Oxford, called Henley-on-Thames, famous for its world renowned Royal Rowing Regatta.

In 1981, Peter Watts met Chris Shaw in South Africa whilst working on a project together. It was the start of Direct Group™ as we know it today.

In 1983 an associate buying office was opened in Taiwan and, a year later a second one in Hong Kong.

More recently the Group has opened a buying office in Ningbo, China.

It is a remarkable testimony that these offices and relationships were formed far before most companies considered buying from the Far East.

The same managers are running these offices today.

These 4 offices play an important role for the Group. PWD in England is well positioned to be at the heart of things for new ideas and merchandise, as catalogue and TV home shopping is big business in the UK with over 50 substantial companies in this area.

The taste patterns in the UK are very similar to those in Australasia.

PWD researches winning products and, develops and sources them with the help of the buying offices. New products are then sent to Direct Group in Sydney for final development and testing so they comply with local standards and regulations. Orders are then sent from Sydney to the buying offices which oversee the buying process and consolidate the shipping containers for sea freight to Sydney.

It is a great team effort from dedicated people thousand of miles apart across the world!