CHELTENHAM FOOTWEAR COMPANY REVEALS PLANS FOR GROWTH, AND IT’S ONLINE

After a record-breaking year of online sales and new product launches, Sophie Scarrott is expanding her business online, but it does mean the closure of the retailer’s store in Cheltenham this month.

Keith Scarrott Shoes was established in 1975 by Sophie’s father. The company designs exclusive collections of boots and shoes in Cheltenham which are handmade in Italy or Spain.

Sophie took over the running of the business 16 years ago.

Using digital platforms like Instagram and Facebook to increase their reach, Sophie and her team made the most of each lockdown. As a result, the business saw a phenomenal 400 per cent growth in sales.

Sophie said: “The pandemic allowed us to push forward with our digital plans much faster than planned.”

But she says it’s not the end of physical retail for Keith Scarrott Shoes, which will occasionally appear as a pop-up store.

Sophie added: “I believe in a flexible trading model, partnering with exciting brands and retail spaces, using digital insight to drive our activity.”

Car repair business expands into new premises after first year

Just a year after a skilled young auto engineer launched his car repair business he has moved into bigger premises.

Gavin Cunningham’s vehicle recovery and repair business has now transferred to premises five times bigger than his original base in Redditch, creating jobs along the way.

The firm has moved to a 5,126 sq ft unit on the Washwood Industrial Estate.

The new venture came after Gavin lost a job that saw him rise from a teenage tyre fitter to a regional manager. He sold possessions including his car to buy a recovery truck to start the business, enabling him to raise enough money to get his first set of premises.

customers, The Bunch has grown from a team of seven to 20 in the past six months.

The company has moved to bigger premises in St Pauls, Bristol, and wants to hit an ambitious growth target of £5 million turnover this year, from its current from £1.9 million.

Hardide Coatings confident of growth

Advanced surface coating technology company, Hardide Coatings, which doubled the size of its UK production facility with a move to a new 20,000 sq ft site in Bicester earlier this year, has seen improvement across all its key markets.

The company reported revenues of £1.8 million for the six months ended March 31, in line with the second half of last year.

The company also said that there is an “exciting development under way with a very large UK-based electric vehicle manufacturer”. Gas turbine blade developments are also well advanced with a major European manufacturer.

Robert Goddard, Chairman of Hardide, said: “There are signs of improvement across all of our key markets.

“Revenue from energy, flow control and aerospace customers all increased in the first half with sales to aerospace customers increasing by 26 per cent and to energy and flow control by four per cent each.”