Home and garden firm digs in for growth after landing BBC Gardeners’ World deal
A branded homewares, garden and gift products business which supplies major supermarkets, high street retailers and garden centres, has secured a funding deal after winning a contract with BBC Gardeners’ World.
Sheffield-based IC Innovations produces a range of home, garden and gift products, from BBC Good Food kitchen tools and electricals to Christmas products under The Snowman brand, and now supplies more than 6,000 retail outlets across the UK.
The company has secured a £150,000 loan from NPIF – Enterprise Ventures Debt Finance, part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund to support the business through its ongoing expansion and help it to meet the increased stock requirements following the recent high volume contract with its new BBC Gardeners’ World product ranges.
The company employs 18 staff at its Sheffield headquarters and has distribution centres in Nottingham and Derby, with Far East offices in Shanghai and Guangzhou in China.
It plans to create a further 10 skilled jobs in the coming year.
IC Innovations was founded in 2004 by current MD Tristan Cowell who had invented Card HangUps, an innovative product for displaying Christmas cards.
The company soon expanded its range of gifts and seasonal products and identified a demand for high quality household products.
Peter Sorsby, investment manager at Enterprise Ventures, part of Mercia Technologies, said: “IC Innovations is a real success story which shows how a company which started out with one product can expand rapidly and become a trusted partner to big brands by identifying and fulfilling customer needs.
“The company now manages a global supply chain and has built expertise across the whole process from product design to quality control, packaging, shipping and fulfilling orders. This funding will provide additional working capital to help Tristan and his team scale up their operation.”
