World Trade Centre gives WedgeWelly an international platform
Fashion conscious welly fans worldwide will soon be elevated following expert help from World Trade Centre Hull & Humber.
Kingswood based WedgeWelly Ltd, which won a new investor in BBC2’s Dragons’ Den recently, is already trading successfully with Russia, the Benelux and the USA through a partnership with the centre based at Humber Quays.
Company directors Mike and Sarah Longthorn and Laura Booth said that international trade was a core element of their business plan, which tasks them with entering one new foreign market every year.
They say it is very likely that they will exceed the annual target and have reported increased enquiries from abroad, including a request for a bespoke line from iconic design house Yves St Laurent.
The company, which was launched in 2008, has since sold more than 24,000 pairs of boots with a turnover in excess of £350,000 – 20 per cent of which comes from international sales.
Mr Longthorn said: “When the business started, we were very much aware how powerful exports could be in terms of revenue and the World Trade Centre was the natural starting point for us.
“Having been given the knowledge and confidence to dip our toes into international waters, we have now streamlined the business to enable us to focus more time on developing sales channels overseas.”
Expert advice accessed through a UK Trade & Investment specialist at the World Trade Centre led to WedgeWelly Ltd obtaining European Design Registration on their products, which prevents companies in any countries of the European Union manufacturing or selling copycat versions.
The company has already successfully fought off attempts by UK retailers, including major high street chain Wynsors, which has been forced to remove copies from its shelves. It is now in the final stages of achieving Trade Mark protection for the USA territory.
The WedgeWelly directors attended market-specific events at the World Trade Centre, signed up for UKTI’s Passport to Export programme and accessed Overseas Market Introduction Service reports.
“It has led to us gaining essential intelligence on international trade issues and being much more diligent and stringent in our dealings with foreign distributors than we would have been,” said Mr Longthorn, who has set up key performance indicators with distributors to provide WedgeWelly with a vital safety net.
The directors have also been advised on payment procedures resulting in them achieving payment upfront, taking the risk out of foreign orders for thousands of pairs of boots.
Current contracts include those with Splash Productions in Alabama, who have recently ordered a second container load, Elite Designs in Russia and Dutch retailer Nathies, which is distributing to the Benelux countries of Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg.
Mr Longthorn added that they would be primarily targeting countries that had a music festival culture as the company had carved a niche market in festival goers.
Tony Howard, chair of World Trade Centre Hull & Humber, said that by accessing the right type of assistance, it was entirely possible to develop lucrative overseas business alongside cultivating a UK presence.
“WedgeWelly Limited has generated huge possibilities and broadened its horizons demonstrating the benefits of thinking beyond domestic markets. As a result of their efforts they will experience much faster growth as well as being less vulnerable to fluctuating economic situations.”
