News: International expansion for Little Helper
Rotherham-based Little Helper Ltd, has exciting expansion plans, after signing up a number of international distributors.
Now based in Dinnington supplying childcare and child play ranges of products, the enterprise has grown from their initial product, the FunPod, which was conceived by company founders Kim and Sean Johnson to keep their daughter safe in the kitchen.
Launched in 2006, the award-winning FunPod is now sold through major retailers, such as Mothercare, Amazon, Boots, Kiddicare, Hamleys, Early Learning Centre and Tesco, as well as through independent retailers.
Since then, Sean and Kim have extended their product range to include other innovative children's furniture items which the company designs in-house. Little Helper has achieved at least 30 per cent growth every year since it was established and plans to take on at least two more staff in the next 12 months, as part of its ongoing expansion.
Little Helper will shortly be releasing 10 new products which will significantly expand its current range of children's products. It is also about to become the exclusive UK and Ireland distributor for "Oops" products, a Swiss brand of soft and wooden toys and children's accessories, such as bedding and rucksacks, with 80 products in its range.
Support has come from from RiDO (Rotherham Investment & Development Office) with RiDO's business co-ordinator Julia Millea worked with Sean Johnson, managing director of Little Helper, to assist with translation services for product assembly instructions into four European languages, which has meant the company has been able to secure new distributors for its products in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and potentially in Germany.
Sean Johnson, managing director of Little Helper, said: "This is a very exciting time for our business. We have had some great support from RiDO in developing the export side of our business and see tremendous market opportunities internationally for our products. Around nine per cent of our turnover is currently from export, but this is set to grow dramatically over the coming months."
Julia Millea, business development co-ordinator for RiDO, added: "Little Helper is a fantastic success story and it has been great to be able to help them to become established in other European markets. There are huge opportunities to sell their innovative products overseas and we look forward to watching their continued growth and success internationally."
The Growth and Prosperity in Rotherham (Soft Landing Zone) project aims to assist Rotherham companies in accessing international markets and also helps foreign inward investors who choose to locate to RiDOs business centres. The project is supported financially by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Little Helper website
RiDO website
Images: RiDO
Read more...
Now based in Dinnington supplying childcare and child play ranges of products, the enterprise has grown from their initial product, the FunPod, which was conceived by company founders Kim and Sean Johnson to keep their daughter safe in the kitchen.
Launched in 2006, the award-winning FunPod is now sold through major retailers, such as Mothercare, Amazon, Boots, Kiddicare, Hamleys, Early Learning Centre and Tesco, as well as through independent retailers.
Since then, Sean and Kim have extended their product range to include other innovative children's furniture items which the company designs in-house. Little Helper has achieved at least 30 per cent growth every year since it was established and plans to take on at least two more staff in the next 12 months, as part of its ongoing expansion.
Little Helper will shortly be releasing 10 new products which will significantly expand its current range of children's products. It is also about to become the exclusive UK and Ireland distributor for "Oops" products, a Swiss brand of soft and wooden toys and children's accessories, such as bedding and rucksacks, with 80 products in its range.
Support has come from from RiDO (Rotherham Investment & Development Office) with RiDO's business co-ordinator Julia Millea worked with Sean Johnson, managing director of Little Helper, to assist with translation services for product assembly instructions into four European languages, which has meant the company has been able to secure new distributors for its products in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and potentially in Germany.
Sean Johnson, managing director of Little Helper, said: "This is a very exciting time for our business. We have had some great support from RiDO in developing the export side of our business and see tremendous market opportunities internationally for our products. Around nine per cent of our turnover is currently from export, but this is set to grow dramatically over the coming months."
Julia Millea, business development co-ordinator for RiDO, added: "Little Helper is a fantastic success story and it has been great to be able to help them to become established in other European markets. There are huge opportunities to sell their innovative products overseas and we look forward to watching their continued growth and success internationally."
The Growth and Prosperity in Rotherham (Soft Landing Zone) project aims to assist Rotherham companies in accessing international markets and also helps foreign inward investors who choose to locate to RiDOs business centres. The project is supported financially by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Little Helper website
RiDO website
Images: RiDO
Rotherham
