Turnover at knitwear firm in Borders reaches £ 1m
● Textile specialist scaling in Melrose amid sales growth ● Export markets include Australia, Asia and Europe
A knitwear company based in the Scottish Borders has seen turnover reach £ 1 million and sales this year show a year- onyear jump of 45 per cent.
Eribé Knitwear bills itself as “eco- friendly”, championing natural yarns, and after being founded in 1986 is still expanding, with new premises in Melrose and a new showroom coming soon.
It is led by chief executive and founder Rosemary Eribé and says it is enjoying its best trading year ever. Sales manager Shona Forrester said: “To date this year we’re 45 per cent up on sales compared to last year. Buying less, buying better quality is what counts.”
The firm is expanding into new markets such as Taiwan, with sales also coming from the likes of Australia, Europe and Japan.
Around 20 countries stock Eribé’s Scottish designs, with more than 20,000 garments sold every year.
Rosemary Eribé said: “It’s very exciting having a young and enthusiastic t eam l ed by 33 years of experience. By expanding slowly, it’s given us very strong roots.
“I’ve always seen it like building a house – starting from the bottom and working up. And we haven’t even started the garden yet.”
The firm highlighted challenges faced by the Scottish textiles industry, adding that Brexit uncertainty has been blamed for poor high street retail sales, but businesses such as Eribé are supporting independent boutiques.
She continued: “There is so much doom and gloom on the high street, but our retailers are selling out of Eribé and coming back for repeat orders throughout the year. Our cust omers are l ooking t o buy something different and new.”
Working closely with spinners from Yorkshire and Scotland, Eribé works with suppliers from the UK. Investment i n S c ot l a nd i ncl udes new machines for in- house production and plans to grow the workforce.
The company also works with a small, family- run manufacturer in Bulgaria. To avoid the negative effects of Brexit, it is setting up a European distribution centre, ensuring orders are processed efficiently for EU markets, and enabling a lower carbon footprint.
In light of its best trading year to date, a new showroom is planned in the Georgian house in the centre of Melrose where the firm is now based. According to Scottish Development International ( SDI), Scotland exports textiles to more t han 1 5 0 c o unt r i e s . Additionally, the aim is for S cottish t extiles expor t s – which encompass knitwear such as cashmere and lambswool; woven fabrics including t weed; leather for high- end use; and technical and industrial textiles – to reach £ 500m by 2020, backed by a targeted £ 3.5m spend on research and development.
SDI s t ated: “Huge gl obal brands such as Chanel source textiles from Scotland and seek Scottish expertise.”