Cuddledry and Peter Sissons to speak at Bristol International Trade Forum
Fast growth Somerset company, Cuddledry ltd, will be sharing its experience of international trade at a high profile event taking place in Bristol on 9 December. Entrepreneur and Cuddledry founder, Polly Marsh, will be part of a panel of experts involved in a ‘Question Time’ session hosted by TV’s Peter Sissons at the International Trade Forum taking place in the city.
The hard-hitting event, supported by UKTI, China-Britain Business Council (CBBC) and Regional Language Network South West (RLN SW), is being hosted by Peter Sissons and will look at the reality of trading abroad in these challenging times. Cuddledry was approached to sit on the panel due to its rapid expansion overseas, which has taken place in a very short amount of time. It is hoped that the company’s story – as seen on Dragon’s Den - will inspire other West Country businesses considering international trade. Polly will be on the panel alongside Professor Peter Gold, (RLN SW), Thorsten Fisher (Senior Economic Advisor, Royal Bank of Scotland) and Phil Morrison (CEO, Freightnet.com).
After bravely turning down 3 offers of investment on TV’s Dragon’s Den, the company has gone on to achieve great success, exceeding sales projections by over 30%. Cuddledry’s clever baby bath towels are now sold in over 20 countries worldwide and it hopes to double overseas trade in the next year. With this in mind, the company has just appointed an International Account Manager who will be responsible for driving this expansion.
Polly comments, “We’re delighted to be part of such an important event and look forward to sharing what we have learned with those attending the forum. Starting to trade overseas can be a daunting prospect but there is loads of help out there if you know where to look. Business Link is great place to start, and the ‘Passport to Export’ programme run by UKTI is essential for anyone seriously looking to set up links abroad. We were allocated a UKTI advisor who helped answer all our questions about how to start and how to expand, which was invaluable.”
Cuddledry co-founder, Helen Wooldridge, adds, “There are specific councils for many of the countries you want to do business with, such as the CBBC. We’ve also found that the RLN SW is a great source of advice on all forms of company communication in other countries.”
The event is taking place at the Cabot Auditorium, Building 3 at Hewlett Packard Laboratories, Filton, from 9.30am – 2.30pm, and the Question Time Panel is scheduled for 11.30am. For more information visit www.marchpublishing.co.uk.
The original Cuddledry baby bath towel costs £24.99 and is available in oatmeal, natural white, soft pink and blue. A new cowprint version is now available for £29.99, as well as gorgeous toddler towels. To find out more visit www.cuddledry.com.
Editors Notes
· Polly and Helen had recognised that bathtime is a struggle with slippery wet babies and not enough hands, and came up with the Organic Cuddledry® baby bath towel. Quickly snapped up by baby shops UK-wide, the National Childbirth Trust, Mothercare and BabiesRUs, it has fast become a bestseller. The Organic Cuddledry® bath towel enables parents and carers to wear the towel like an apron, leaving both hands free for safely lifting their babies out of the bath and drying them. It comes with single-handed easy-release poppers that allow simple removal before lying baby down on a changing mat, still snugly wrapped.
· Now the Cuddledry® towel is used by thousands of parents, including a number of celebrities, and promoted by midwives. It has won national awards for being both dad and mum-friendly, and most importantly, has revolutionised bathtime for a host of anxious parents.