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Gloucestershire Business News

Men’s beauty company looking good after £500,000 deal

If you thought men's beauty products were niche a Cheltenham business will tell you differently, after landing deals worth £500,000.

Not only that, Hawkins & Brimble expects its £1.5 million turnover to grow by some 75 per cent this year.

The two contracts see it move into the North American market and come courtesy of support from the Department for International Trade, which assisted with funding and identifying the opportunities.

International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox MP, no less, said: "Hawkins & Brimble has seen tremendous success, both domestically and overseas, in a very short space of time.

"The company has proved that researching buying trends and preparing tailored exporting strategies for overseas markets pays dividends.

"Our international economic department is thrilled at the success Hawkins & Brimble have seen in the US, the UK's largest trading partner."

Total trade between the UK and the US rose to £180.6 billion in the 12 months to June 2018.

Patrick Bos, sales director at Hawkins & Brimble, said: "In just two short years, we've gone from formulating six shaving products to selling a full range of male beauty products in the UK's largest retailers and exporting our products overseas.

"Our main highlights this year have been working with Twentieth Century Fox to create an exclusive range of products to celebrate the release of Bohemian Rhapsody and entering the North American market for the first time.

"Our International Trade Adviser at DIT has been with us every step of the way and has even introduced us to the DIT team based in New York, which has been invaluable.

"However, exporting is not without its challenges. Before we entered the Canadian market, we had to do a lot of research about buying habits and had to make sure packaging was reprinted to include both English and French.

"However, anything is possible with the right team behind you and the right support. If we can find success in international markets, so can many other businesses."

After meeting with a Canadian distributor, the Gloucestershire firm secured a £250,000 contract with one of the country's largest retail pharmacy chains, Shoppers Drug Mart to sell beard oils, beard shampoo, moisturisers and gift sets.

Texas grocery chain Central Market is also trialing Hawkins & Brimble products following introductions through DIT.

Its products are currently on trial in 10 of its branches with the potential roll out to more stores in 2019.

Hawkins & Brimble was launched in December 2016 and has secured contracts with UK retailers including Sainsbury's, Waitrose and Debenhams, as well as shipping its products to more than 10 countries including the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, China and South Africa.

Exporting currently accounts for 60 per cent of Hawkins & Brimble's turnover, and this is expected to increase to 75 per cent in 2019 with the brand planning to enter new markets including Scandinavia, Australia, India, Brazil and South East Asia.

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