Member Article

Wakefield Rugby League supplier attracts £20k LEP investment

Xamax, the Wakefield based branded clothing firm has secured a grant for almost £20,000 from the Leeds LEP’s Business Growth Programme (BGP)

Focusing specifically on the manufacture of Rugby League Football kits, the grant will cover 20% of the total cost of the investment into a flatbed laser cutting system, new clothing printers and presses, as well as expansion of the manufacturing space.

Two new jobs have been created as a direct result of the fund, which will see this part of the business double capacity with a projected increase in sales from £250,000 in 2012 to £700,000 per year by 2015.

Producing more than 1 million garments a year, Xamax recently invested more than £500,000 into the refurbishment of its factory facilities and offices, as well as the design and build of a customer facing retail outlet of over 3,000 sqft in Wakefield.

Employing 45 staff the company anticipates that it will increase overall turnover by 20% in the next 12 months and intends to continue to invest in order to maintain its growth strategy and hit overall sales of six million by 2016.

Managing Director of Xamax, Graham Thompson, said: “We would like to thank the Business Growth Programme and most importantly our local business advisors from Wakefield Council, who have made this application possible and have supported us throughout the process.

“Without support from the Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership we couldn’t proceed with this investment in the business, which would subsequently hamper our growth potential.”

He adds: “These funds are available for businesses like Xamax who have ambitious strategies for growth. We would certainly urge likeminded SME’s to come forward and consider the options that are available to them.”

Councillor Peter Box CBE, Leader of Wakefield Council and LEP Board Member, said: “We are pleased to have been able to support this successful grant application by working with this company through our Business Support Programme and look forward to continuing to work with them to assist with their on-going development.

“The Council’s programme provides experienced Business Advisors to support companies considering applying for funding, this includes the Leeds City Region Business Growth Programme which to date has offered grants of over £1m to expanding businesses in the Wakefield district.

“These projects will attract private sector investment and will create over 130 new jobs – great news for Wakefield.”

Currently supplying more than 200 separate Rugby League Football Clubs in the UK, with orders increasing by the day, the business recognised the need to invest in its capabilities and capacity to make the process more efficient, while positioning the company as the UK’s leading supplier to amateur rugby league teams of all sizes.

Without the investment the business would not be in the position to increase capacity or production speeds, as current equipment is incompatible with fabric widths and existing systems are leading to substantial waste of fabric and paper.

Graham Thompson concludes: “None of this would be possible were it not for the commitment of our wonderful staff, I can not thank them enough. For the quality of employees, Wakefield is certainly the place to do business.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .