Buggy business blooming in sunny Spain
AWellington buggy business is expanding in Spain - hot on the heels of increasing demand for its products in Europe.
Phil&teds - a company headquartered in Newtown - has bought a new office in Spain, which is three times bigger than the office it once rented.
As a result, the company will also double its team on the ground.
This follows a 22 per cent jump in sales of the company’s Mountain Buggy brand across Europe between 2013 and 2015.
Phil&teds chief executive Campbell Gower, said the new office in Malaga would include a training facility, where customers
We're a small company trying to conquer the world.
could interact with sales staff and look at new products.
‘‘It was always our plan to build a sales, marketing and service hub in this part of the world. With multiple new roles to fill to resource our growth, we aim for a stronger presence on the ground and in the market.
‘‘This perfectly positions our company to increase its European market share, and drive growth.’’
The past three years had shown that with the right investment and partnerships, significant change could occur, Gower said.
In 2009, phil&teds bought its former competitor Mountain Buggy.
‘‘Before its acquisition, Mountain Buggy’s products were disappearing from European stores,’’ Gower said.
‘‘Under phil&teds’ ownership, it’s now a leading juvenile brand, regularly breaking its own records and receiving global acclaim.’’ An example of this was at a three-day trade show in Germany, where the company secured orders in excess of $1.5 million. Gower said this year’s event was the most successful to date. ‘‘It’s exciting. We’re a small company based out of Wellington, New Zealand, trying to conquer the world.’’
The company also rents offices in China, UK, and the United States.