Pictured above: Rachel Dormor is pictured left with UK Trade
& Investment international trade adviser Pat Steele.
A Stoke-on-Trent designer and maker of high quality porcelain
tableware has landed a deal to sell her products across the USA -
with help from UK Trade & Investment.
Rachel Dormor, who has a workshop at Leek Road Business Village,
Staffordshire University, started trading as Rachel Dormor Ceramics
in 2001 and now sells to about 20 high end boutiques and galleries
in the UK.
She turned to UK Trade & Investment for help in developing
her export business earlier this year, when she was invited to
exhibit at the New York Gift Fair by the Craft Council, and joined
its flagship Passport scheme for new exporters.
She commissioned an Overseas Market Introduction Service (OMIS)
report from UK Trade & Investment's commercial team at the
British Consulate-General in New York in advance of the event in
August, to find potential agents and distributors.
Rachel said: "The OMIS report was excellent. It listed 12
companies who were interested in acting as agents and gave me the
confidence to be much more structured in my approach. While I was
in the market, I signed a deal with one of them - a US distributor
of hand made porcelain.
"It's a fantastic result which will transform my business as
I'll be sending palletloads of tableware out to this market. I'm
expecting sales to double over the next year and planning to take
on staff to deal with the demand.
"I also took orders worth £5,000 at the show, which was a
very welcome bonus, and benefited from a free return flight from
British Airways, which was wonderful."
Rachel received financial support to exhibit at the event
through UK Trade & Investment's Tradeshow Access Programme.
She is also exporting to Japan following a market visit with the
Interiors & Lifestyle Cluster in June, which enabled her to
develop contacts she had made previously.
International trade adviser Pat Steele, based at North
Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce, who manages the international
element of Advantage West Midlands' Interiors & Lifestyle
Cluster, said: "Rachel Dormor Ceramics is a small design-led
company manufacturing niche products which have a simple
contemporary elegance.
"Rachel is a delight to work with; her determination to succeed
keeps her on the ball. I am very much looking forward to supporting
the company in future endeavours."
UK Trade & Investment's Passport programme provides a
package of support for new exporters, including a free export
health check, attendance at an export workshop, assistance in
formulating an international trade strategy and matched funding to
help implement this strategy, quality training and mentoring advice
and access to the full range of UK Trade & Investment
services.
British Airways has offered 4,000 free international return
flights to SMEs working with UK Trade & Investment to explore
overseas markets. For more information and to find out what
companies are eligible, contact your local international trade team
or visit the website www.ukan.uktradeinvest.gov.uk.
For more information about how UK Trade & Investment can
help your business expand into new markets abroad, contact the
international trade team at North Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce
on Tel: 01782 202222.