Following a £160,000 loan from Lancashire County Developments, owned by the county council, the online retailer is planning to enter new markets including the UAE and Singapore.
Baby Box Shop offers a range of gifts including apparel and toys, and has been trading via Amazon with steady growth. However the shipping crisis and delays to deliveries meant that the company didn’t have the funds it needed to continue its expansion.
Since securing the loan, Baby Box Shop has increased its staff from six to 15 employees and is continuing to recruit as part of its target to employ 22 by the end of the loan’s five-year term.
The retailer, which was already operating in the US, Germany, France, Spain and Italy, has now entered Polan, Czech Republic, Sweden, Turkey and the Netherlands, with hopes to grow in new territories including the UAE and Singapore.
The investment has also helped the retailer to make improvements to its production studio, machinery and and website.
Owen Burrows, who runs Baby Box Shop with his wife, Kim, commented: “We can often be looking at a five months cycle from when we place an order for items with factories and distributors to when we receive payment.
“We needed more goods and capacity to allow us to create a stronger flow of income and develop our own production facilities.
“Following Brexit, we were able to compensate for delays in Europe with US and UK sales. We are expecting Europe to have better lines of delivery going forward and we’re in the process of opening up an EU branch of the company.”
Rosebud is part of the county council’s Lancashire County Developments, and aims to support the growth of county businesses and the economy, offering loans between £10,000 and £300.000.
County councillor, Andy Riggott, added: “Owen and Kim have a strong ambition to grow internationally and a clear strategy to match this. I’m proud that as a county council, we are able to provide funds to help Lancashire businesses like Baby Box Shop achieve these goals.”
