Smiggle Opens Seven UK Stores – 11 More Planned This Year

Smiggle opens seven UK stores – 11 more planned this year

Fast facts

Company: Smiggle

Country of origin: Australia

Investment location: London and South East

smiggle.co.uk

UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) has employs over 1,000 people and in 2013 With the decision made to set up in worked closely with Smiggle in both achieved a turnover of AUS$89.6 million. the UK, Smiggle got in touch with Australia and the UK, to support it in UKTI in Melbourne to find out what bringing its stationery brand to the “We plan to be the world’s most famous support was available. UKTI supported UK. The company has launched a stationery brand for kids,” says John the company by providing information sizeable investment and expansion Cheston, Managing Director of Smiggle. about tax and business rates in the campaign, opening seven stores and “Our ultimate goal is to create original different UK regions; advising on a UK head office. Eleven more stores and fun products that will make children skills and recruitment; and making are to be opened across the UK by and their families smile and giggle. introductions to key advisers including December 2014, each employing Our products are all about great design tax and accounting that were critical in around 10 people. and innovation, bold colour, quirky establishing the business in the graphics, great value and most of all, fun. UK market. Australian stationery brand, Smiggle, We are always expanding and updating opened its first store in Melbourne, our range and our designers draw inspiration from all over the world.” Australia in 2003. The brand of colourful, “ Between February and June fun, fashion-forward stationery soon Coming to the UK became a popular hit with kids across 2014, we opened seven Australia. By 2007, the company had 20 Having got close to saturation point in stores and became part of Australasian Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, new stores and took on 70 fashion & apparel retailer, the Just Smiggle began to look for a fourth employees. The speed with Group. market to enter. The company’s focus was to find a large market with potential which we achieved all this is Smiggle has since grown to 123 stores for high sales and profit growth. in Australia and has also embarked Having carried out extensive desktop unprecedented in our other on an ambitious international strategy. research and visited the UK several overseas markets” The company built up 23 stores in New times, Smiggle and the Just Group were Zealand and 17 in Singapore. Today it confident that the UK met the criteria. John Cheston, Managing Director, Smiggle “ We appreciated having UKTI on hand as a knowledgeable, well connected and trusted partner”

John Cheston, Managing Director, Smiggle

Setting up your company in the UK Deciding where to locate your international business is one “Things have moved quickly for us in of the biggest decisions you’ll the UK,” says John. “Between February make and can be daunting. and June 2014, we opened seven new UK Trade & Investment helps stores and took on 70 employees. businesses coming to the UK The speed with which we achieved with every aspect of setting up all this is unprecedented in our other their new operations. overseas markets. We believe that UK sales have the potential to match our As the UK Government’s inward sales in Australia within three to five investment agency, it’s our job to years. As a well-established and large know the UK’s strengths and where publicly listed company, we have the investment opportunities exist. resources and expertise that is needed to support our entry into new markets. This means we can help your But even so, we appreciated having company to do all the research you UKTI on hand as a knowledgeable, well need to make an informed decision, connected and trusted partner. We are and then get up and running as currently considering an extensive list quickly as possible. of UK regions in which to invest, and UK Trade & Investment can we know that we can turn to UKTI if we help you to: need anything along the way.” • Do your research “We found that the UK ticked the right • Build key contacts boxes,” says John. “It has a large The UK - Europe’s leading investment personal stationery market, worth over destination • Choose your location £1.4 billion; we are familiar with it’s legal Every year around 70 Australian • Set up your new office systems and language, making it an businesses of all sizes, decide to expand easy place to do business; the habits to the UK or increase their business • Grow your business internationally. of school kids are similar to those in presence there. It’s the leading European Australia so we were confident that they destination for Australian businesses, would be receptive to our products; and the second most popular destination UKTI was delighted to support there is limited competition to what overall - but why? Smiggle in its investment in the UK. we do; the large network of shopping centres would provide the perfect It’s more than just our close political, To find an adviser in outlets; it has a high calibre pool of talent historical and commercial relationships the UK and begin your for employing; and it’s a springboard into - it’s because the UK is a fantastic place own success story now, intercontinental Europe/North America.” to do business. It provides a unique scan this code with your gateway of international connections, smartphone, visit Forging ahead is a recognised leader in the fields of www.gov.uk/ukti In February 2014, Smiggle opened its creativity and innovation and is the sixth call +44 (0)20 7333 5442 first UK store at the Westfield shopping largest economy in the world. The UK or email centre in Stratford, London. Between is also one of the easiest places to set [email protected] April and the end of May 2014, a further up and run a business. According to six have followed at retail outlets in the World Bank, it takes just 13 days to set up a business in the UK, UK Trade & Investment is the Brighton, Crawley, Kingston, Leicester, Government Department that helps Guildford and Reading. compared to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and UK-based companies succeed in By the end of 2014, the company plans Development (OECD) average of 15 days. the global economy. We also help to have 18 stores up and running in the overseas companies bring their UK, aiming for a total of 250 over the For further information visit high-quality investment to the UK’s next five years, each one employing ten www.gov.uk/ukti dynamic economy. We provide people. companies with the tools they require to be competitive on the world stage.