Entrepreneurs hit back of the net with major supply deal
WHEN Sheffield-based entrepreneurs Steve Crosby and Allen Holland failed to win the backing of BBC Dragons’ Den investors they weren’t disheartened.
Instead they pursued other opportunities and have recently signed a deal to supply their Kickster portable football goal to the UK’s largest catalogue and online retailer – Shop Direct.
The deal will see Mr Crosby and Mr Holland’s company Quick Play Sport sell the portable goal through catalogues and online through websites such as Littlewoods.com, Additions and Woolworths, which is now owned by the Barclay brothers.
Kickster goals use a flexible tarpaulin crossbar and posts to make a goal mouth, held in tension by a steel and fibreglass frame- similar to that of modern tents.
The goals can be put up in less than two minutes and are both robust and flexible. They can be easily carried by children and are small enough to pack into a family car to go on holiday or to the park.
Mr Holland said: “Dragons’ Den was a great experience and it has helped us focus on what we have to do to take our business to the next stage.
“We went on the show to speed up Quick Play’s growth but since then we have taken the company forward to another level without the need for a Dragon on board.”
He said the company’s aim was to make products that meet the needs of the people who use them.
“There’s just not enough time in training sessions to spend at least 15 minutes putting up existing solid frame goals so the Kickster goal is the perfect solution,” he added.
Shop Direct Group is one of the UK’s leading online and home shopping multibrand retailers with a wide range of products covering fashion, furniture, home wares, electricals and gifts.
