Ulster Weavers Invests £250,000 in Online Trade
After trading for almost one hundred and fifteen years in textiles, homeware and gifts, Holywood based company Ulster Weavers recently made the move to online consumer sales of its globally popular home and giftware.
With huge successes in recent months such as the Terry Bradley bag (which sold out in a matter of hours when it was released in House of Fraser, Belfast) and a customer list which includes Rick Stein, the Royal Horticultural Society, the V&A Museum and the National Trust, among others, the traditional company made the move to online sales earlier this year.
Managing Director, Kenneth Webb said “We hesitated selling our product direct to consumers in the past because we simply didn’t want to conflict with our retail and e-tail customers who were doing just that. However, we receive thousands of requests from consumers each year and recently decided that only a branded and controlled website with a world-class distribution system would allow the end consumer to fully enjoy the ethos of the Ulster Weavers product and service. This investment highlights the belief in our product and our team who continue to develop globally popular designs.”
Ulster Weavers engaged Origin Partners Ltd, a creative digital agency, also based in
Holywood, to develop its highly interactive, e-commerce website.
Jonathan Kelly and Jerry Staple, who established Origin Partners Ltd in June 2006, relished the challenge to work with Ulster Weavers.
“We believe that any business, in any sector, regardless of size can benefit from a digital strategy. Selling online is an extremely cost-effective way of reaching existing and new markets and in the current economic climate we are seeing established retailers as well as new starts seizing the opportunity. An entrepreneurial spirit is required for successful ecommerce. We match that with expertise and a partnership approach This combination has brought success to Ulster Weavers and many other clients ”, says Jerry.
The investment in the website, valued at almost £250,000, created new jobs for the company, which sold 800,000 tea towels in 2008 across its North Down and Belfast operations. The site www.ulsterweavers.com, is live and is continuing to create sales each day, attracting customers across the globe.
