East Yorkshire business set to expand product lines as second SparkFund grant is secured.
Vetfleece, based in Bridlington impresses the SparkFund Awards panel to win additional £17.5k Innovation grant.
The latest grant will support Vetfleece to design and supply a brand new product within the pet care industry – adding to their existing lines of veterinary grade fleece and pet accessories.
Vetfleece were also successful in 2019, securing a £21k SparkFund Research and Development grant to review and improve existing machinery.
Now, looking to expand their product range, Vetfleece tested a similar product in the market before applying for their second SparkFund grant. The firm experienced ‘sales beyond expectation’, making it clear that the new product innovation had significant potential not just within the UK market, but across the globe.
Within the testing issues were faced that hindered sales, such as supply and online retail challenges within the US. SparkFund support will help the firm to gain more control in the manufacturing process, alleviate supply issues and enable a new product to be brought to market.
Peter Ward, Joint Managing Director of Vetfleece commented:
“The fact that we will be in control of the manufacture and supply of the new product will be of immense benefit to the business from a sales and customer service point of view. The additional control will enable us to have more flexibility to approach additional markets and therefore generate increased sales revenue.
"The tremendous help and support that we have had from the Sparkfund team, not only on this project but also in the past has given us the confidence and ability to be more ambitious in our planning."
SparkFund support will now enable Vetfleece to find approved manufacturers, develop prototypes and make this local firm’s ambition a reality.
“It is great to see a small business grow on the back of new product development and take greater control of their manufacturing process.”
Said Phil Glover, SparkFund Awards Panel Member and Business Development Manager, Hull and East Yorkshire LEP.
The project is expected to be delivered by quarter two of 2021.
SparkFund is delivered by the University of Hull and funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
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