Clearwater Collections

West Yorkshire company makes splash overseas

Clearwater Collections of Bradford make a range of exclusive free-standing baths, from slipper baths with traditional ball and claw feet to streamlined designs with fine wood finishes.

The company was one of the first in the region to benefit from UK Trade & Investment’s Passport to Export programme almost four years ago.

UKTI also lent a further helping hand as the company expanded – by sponsoring Managing Director Darren Allison to attend a prestigious business development course in Chicago. This persuaded him that setting up a base in America was the way forward, and so Clearwater Collections have recently set up their own company, Clearwater America, based in Connecticut to handle the volume of orders there more efficiently.

Set up in 1999 with just three people, Clearwater Collections now employs more than 120 staff and has just moved into a new manufacturing and office base to accommodate its ever-expanding business. International sales now account for 16% of its £5.5 million turnover, and have grown more than 24% in the last twelve months.

Darren Allison, Managing Director said: “From day one we knew that our luxury hand-made ‘twin-skin’ baths would have a major appeal to overseas markets but getting onto the export track can be a slow and expensive business. It can be especially difficult to identify the right contacts. Passport helped us structure our thinking and it gave us some invaluable advice on organising the finances of our international trade activities.

“International trade advisers at the Business Link also alerted us to the Targeted Export Support Scheme (TESS) funding which has helped us get to overseas exhibitions to showcase our products. Two years ago it enabled us to exhibit at a trade fair in Dubai for the first time which gave us a foothold in the Middle East that is now paying off significantly. Among other deals, we have just won a contract from a private development company in Dubai for £600,000 with more orders in the offing.”

The business development programme Darren attended was run by Kellogg’s in Chicago.

Darren commented: “The course consisted of two weeks of intensive business training followed by a two-week attachment to an American company. This gave me a unique insight into how business is done in the US, and it convinced me that setting up our own office there was the best way forward. Once again we were able to access TESS funding to help realise this project in the US.”

Clearwater believes its investment in development is the key to success. There are currently five full-time development staff working in Bradford who are constantly refining the design and manufacture of Clearwater products.

Melanie Tait is UK Trade & Investment’s international trade adviser at West Yorkshire Business Link. Melanie said:

“Identifying the TESS funding, which is a Yorkshire Forward scheme, has been an integral part of Clearwater Collection’s success story. In the latest venture in America, I know that Darren has also had advice and guidance from UK Trade & Investment staff based at the Consulate in Chicago and, of course, here at the Business Link we will continue to support the company in their future overseas projects.