Newly-acquired performance clothing firm targets overseas expansion
The boss of a Long Eaton performance clothing company has told TheBusinessDesk.com that under new ownership the company is set to make a push into the US.
YFM Equity Partners sold its stake in Gill Marine to the Myers Family Office earlier this week. Little is known of the Myers family office, although it is thought to be a US company located in the Boston area.
Gill has more than 40 years of experience in designing technical clothing, footwear and accessories for elite sailors and marine enthusiasts. The company is led by chief executive Jamie Tunnicliffe and his team of COO Ian Poore, commercial director Dominic McCarthy and product director Matt Clark.
Talking about future plans, Tunnicliffe told us: “We will focus on growing wholesale sales in the US which we acquired at the start of the New Year from our long standing US distributor; there are many exciting growth opportunities over there for us to go after, both in marine and within our growing fishing business.
“We will also look to focus more on our e-commerce business which we are significantly investing in this year as well as our key markets of France and Germany working closely with our retail partners on the ground.”
In the 12 months to 30 September – the latest company accounts available – Gill Marine turned over £14.1m with an operating profit of £405,097. The company employed 47 people at the time.
