Cheshire craftswoman sees value of export advice

A Cheshire craftswoman has seen export orders soar since seeking advice from the Department for International Trade.

Alex Hughes, founder of bespoke hand-stitched leather bags manufacturer Rutherfords, began the business as a hobby in 2012, but in the past few months has registered record levels of turnover.

She has worked with the Department for International Trade since 2018 and sought its advice on how to export safely during the coronavirus pandemic.

The business managed to create a socially-distanced work environment at its base in the grounds of Cholmondeley Castle, allowing it to fulfil orders from Japan and also enter new markets in the US and Europe, doubling its exporting destinations from four to eight countries, as online sales took off.

The business has recorded a 400% increase in sales on its 2019 results.

Last year’s turnover was £120,000, and by close of the month of May this year the business had already made £145,0000.

With the Japanese market accounting for 70% of sales revenue, the export market has been crucial to Rutherfords’ success.

Alex began the business as a quest to revive the almost forgotten art of hand-making English bridle leather goods.

Employing techniques and tools dating back 100 years, the former lawyer combined her husband’s engineering background with meticulous hand-finished elements that give each piece its character and history.

Today she employs four leatherworkers and has developed an apprenticeship programme with the University of Chester for fashion and design undergraduates.

She said: “After completing a two-year apprenticeship with one of the UK’s top leather craftsmen, I knew I wanted this passage of knowledge to lay the foundations of the business.

“Leather luxury items often become family heirlooms and every piece we stitch together needs to encapsulate that sense of devotion.

“That sentiment transcends the business and I hope one day I’ll be passing Rutherfords on to our talented team so they can keep the name and craft alive for many years to come.”

She added: “Anyone thinking of starting a small business has to be outward-looking, and working with the Department for International Trade made exporting our products abroad so much easier.

“I would encourage businesses to contact DIT to understand how rewarding exporting can be, as it certainly helped us in Japan and subsequent markets.”

Earlier this week, International Trade Secretary, Liz Truss, announced the start of trade negotiations with Japan, with manufacturers of textiles and clothing among the UK industries expected to be some of the biggest winners of lowering trade barriers with Japan.

Alex said: “A trade deal with Japan will assist us in reducing our tariff and non-tariff barriers to continue to expand our presence abroad.”

Liz Truss said: “Rutherfords is an example of how much a small business can benefit from exporting and how much more it could benefit from a Free Trade Agreement with Japan.

“Japan is one of our largest trading partners, and a new trade deal will help to increase exporting opportunities, boost investment and create more jobs.”

In the year to March 2020, the UK exported £1.6m-worth of leather bags to Japan, an increase of 14.1% on the previous 12 months, with Japan placing in the top five export destinations for UK leather bags.