Dartington Crystal has started to look at export markets and, thanks to contacts with UKTI (UK Trade & Investment), is now in touch with the Chinese market, and is also organizing meetings with more potential clients in South Korea.
Dartington Crystal – the UK’s only factory scale crystal glass manufacturer – has completed a re-organization which put it on a secure footing in the British market when it decided to look abroad for export opportunities to help build on domestic successes.
According to managing director, Neil Hughes, “Although we have had an export presence for many years, like a lot of UK manufacturing, we went through a difficult time and our focus in recent years has been on the home market.”
“We have now reached a point where it seemed right to start looking at export markets again and exploring the emerging markets, particularly China, for the first time. We had a tentative presence at some trade shows in China with limited success but really wanted to start making solid progress in that market.”
“We contacted UKTI (UK Trade & Investment) and sat down and talked with our adviser about our frustrations and difficulties in getting into the Chinese market and she put us in touch with UKTI’s OMIS (Overseas Market Introduction Service) which got us introduced to potential clients at an important trade fair in Shanghai last October. We got some great advice on how to approach customers and do business in China and this has proved successful and we now have new export clients for all three of our brands with very significant opening orders which should lead to long term growth in these markets.”
As a result of the company’s initial success in China, Dartington has now made use of UKTI’s OMIS again to organize meetings with more potential clients in South Korea and appointed a local distributor there.
The company, which employs around 150 staff in Torrington and Scotland and has a turnover of around GBP 10 million, has, in the last year, taken on more staff in manufacturing, sales and administration to cater for the demand of its growing export market.
The company also owns the Caithness Glass and Royal Brierley Crystal brands.
UKTI international trade adviser, Emma Collum, said, “Having successfully re-established itself in the UK, Dartington Crystal is now chasing success abroad and achieving results in some of the most challenging but rewarding markets with expert help and advice from UKTI’s dedicated experts.”
“The importance of exports to growth can be seen in new jobs and investment created by Dartington in North Devon as a direct result of their decision to look further afield for new markets.”
In addition to help and advice from UKTI, Dartington also received financial help from the European Regional