Gtech seeks Japanese distribution partner as its heads back to the global stage

UK VACUUM firm Gtech is scouting out a Japanese distribution partner after a surprise success in Taiwan helped international sales surge 250 per cent last year.

Founder and owner Nick Grey said the company – which also designs and sells garden tools and electric bikes – is making an international comeback after scaling back global sales in recent years.

“We sort of expanded so fast in the UK, we pretty much stopped exporting for a while. We just couldn’t handle it,” he told the Press Association.

“We’re now looking at markets again ... and Japan is definitely one of those,” Mr Grey said.

Local partnerships are now being explored.

“TV shopping tends to play a big part in Japan so we will probably look for someone primarily that is very experienced in TV shopping and demonstrating innovative products to the public.”

The founder of the Worcester-headquartered firm said he had already made contact with some of those businesses.

Gtech – short for Grey Technology – regained its international appetite soon after an out-of-the-blue approach by Taiwanese distributor Kevin Quo, and began selling in the region by 2013.

“Taiwan was sort of a happy accident,” Mr Grey said.

With a deal struck, Mr Quo later sent Gtech’s multi cordless vacuum cleaner to a blogger known simply as 486 who gave it a glowing review in 2015 after hoovering his mattress.

Riding on the wave of a cultural focus on hygiene, demand soon soared. Gtech sold 40,000 products in Taiwan last year, resulting in local revenues more than doubling last year from £3.8m in 2016 to £8.4m. It contributed to a 250 per cent rise in international sales to £17.9m, which now account for about 15 per cent of group revenues that came in at £121 million for 2017.

Mr Grey is now designing models to appeal to a Taiwanese – and now Japanese – consumer base.