Two Bath area firms have been named among the 50 fastest-growing e-commerce brands of the ‘pandemic era’.
Sales at Frome-based The Regency Chess Company moved ahead by 217% through 2019 and 2020 while they climbed by 199% at specialist ladder company Henchman, based at Seend, near Melksham.
The two appear in the Lightning 50, a national table tracking online growth over the past 12 months – the most challenging period ever for British retail.
Launched by Bristol-based retail operating system developer Brightpearl, the Lightning 50 provides a comprehensive guide to the best-performing online retailers of the ‘pandemic era’.
Brightpearl, which works with the world’s largest retail brands, asked hundreds of brands to submit their yearly growth numbers, with each ranked solely on their net growth percentage during 2019/20.
The Regency Chess Company, which emerged as the South West’s fourth fastest-growing firm, was formed in 2008 by Julian Deverell from a bedroom in his parents’ house.
Julian had already been trading traditional games online but decided that a dedicated chess specialist was the way forward and had spent much of the previous year traveling around Europe and Asia to seek out and establish relations with high-quality chess manufacturers.
His gambit paid off and today the firm supplies its high-quality chess sets online in a form that customers can easily understand and compare – a strong selling point as more people took up playing during the pandemic.
The Regency Chess Company said by combining skills in design, photography and product sourcing, it had created a clear and concise online shopping experience that allowed the customer to choose a quality product with ease and confidence.
The fact that Julian had visited each chess workshop in person ensured that only high-quality, well-made products were sold on its web site, it added.
In this way, each supplier is vetted to ensure that they are operating in a clean, honest and fair way without exploitation of their craftspeople.
Sales also rose rapidly during the Covid-19 pandemic at Henchman, the UK’s leading garden ladder specialist – earning it fifth place among the South West firms in the Lightning 50.
The firm, which has specialised in developing safety ladders and platforms for more than 25 years, said the sales uptick reflected the surge in the number of people taking up gardening for the first time during lockdown.
Henchman is the only company to manufacture wheeled hedge-cutting platforms and also pioneered the concept of ladders with adjustable legs and a wider platform rung for working on uneven terrain – a safer alternative to the traditional stepladder designed for flat, hard ground.
The firm offers a personal phone service to customers alongside its website.
Henchman commercial director Owen Simpson said the firm’s customer service team was now handling two to three times as many calls as pre-lockdown.
It has also recruited more staff and also developed a ‘find a ladder for you’ selector tool on its website to help those who prefer to buy online.
“Brand-new gardeners often don’t have any idea what equipment they need,” he said.
“The internet is a great way to shop, but for the novice gardener it can be hard to choose the most appropriate tools.
“When it comes to ladders, the number one priority is choosing the safest ladder for your garden and the type of tasks you plan to tackle, particularly if you are working at height on uneven ground.
“Safety is our number one priority, so it is very re-assuring for us that we have the opportunity to speak to new gardeners in person. Whether people are working in the garden or carrying out DIY tasks in the home, choosing the correct ladder is key to keeping safe.”
He said customers often went onto the website, had a look at the ladders and then called up to confirm they were looking at the right size of tripod or hi-step platform ladder.
“Our highly trained staff are far more than just call handlers, their in-depth knowledge ensures that customers get the best possible technical advice,” he added.
Maintaining stock levels to meet the rise in demand was a challenge, although the most popular 6ft and 8ft tripod ladders were out of stock for short periods only.
“We found that as long customers were kept fully informed about lead times, a short wait for a ladder that is guaranteed for five years wasn’t a problem,” Mr Simpson added.
As well as the general public, the firm’s customers include landscape gardeners, several royal households, country estates and a host of other organisations ranging from the National Trust and the Royal Horticultural Society, to schools, councils and sculpture parks.
The Lightning 50 has topped by Swansea-based luxury alcohol brand Au Vodka, with Mere, Wiltshire-based online furniture firm Furniturebox the fast-growing South West brand with a net growth of 267%.
Brightpearl, which works with the world’s largest retail brands, said the Lightning 50 showed e-commerce booming in the South West, with almost one in five (18%) firms the table from the region.
Brightpearl chief revenue officer Nick Shaw said: “As we are fully aware, the pandemic has seen a big shift to online shopping and that has introduced several operational challenges for retailers to overcome.
“Many have risen to this and we can see some brands and whole sectors have seen exceptional growth and success, despite the difficult climate we have had.
“It’s wonderful for us to be able to celebrate and recognise the hard work that has gone into this growth, and I’d like to congratulate everyone who made it into the Lightning 50 list.”
