Pacapod entrepreneur eyes international markets

ENTREPRENEUR Jacqueline Waggett is set to launch her baby bag product Pacapod overseas as retailers such as John Lewis sell out of stock.

Ms Waggett, who trained in fashion marketing and designed for outdoor clothing firm Sprayway, first set up the Didsbury-based business while on maternity leave, so she could spend more time with her two young children.

She said: “I decided to set up myself and did lots of research, looking at children’s waterproofs for example, but I knew I needed a simple product. At the same time I was struck by the organisation needed just to get out of the house with young children and all the stuff you have to take.

“I did some market research on bags and the feedback was that people seemed to need three bags just to get out of the house: one for them, one for changing and one for feeding. Even beyond the first three months people still need cool bags and food bags.”

Ms Waggett set about designing a baby bag with two separate feeding and changing pod bags incorporated into a handbag, and used her existing industry contacts to get prototypes made.

She developed three styles and manufactured 200 of each for her first exhibition stand at the Harrogate baby trade show in April 2008. “From that show we got into John Lewis, Mothercare and Amazon,” said Ms Waggett, who has invested £60,000 in the business.

The bag range has diversified in the last three months, priced at £20 for a single pod to £180 for a luxury leather design, aimed at upmarket boutiques. Since the range has increased John Lewis increased its stock to include four styles and sold out of stock forecast to last six months in four weeks.

Meanwhile, the company’s direct internet sales have increased tenfold, said Ms Waggett, and it now sells as much stock online as it does thorough other suppliers.

The company has just completed its second full-year. Ms Waggett was not willing to disclose figures, but said it had made its first profit this year after turnover doubled.

This trend is forecast to continue in years three and four as the company looks to expand overseas. She said: “People from other countries are already coming to us for the product, with enquiries from Spain, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, France, Australia, Japan and the US.

“We’ll do this gradually over two years so we don’t have to borrow to fund the expansion but we are looking to partner with distributors who would be given exclusive rights within their territories.”