Member Article

Luxury pet product firm opens first commercial premises in Old Trafford

The founders of a successful luxury pet product business have established their first commercial premises at Bizspace’s Empress Business Centre, Old Trafford.

Sisters Christine and Jenny Chau launched their luxury dog bedding company, Charley Chau, in 2010 from a home studio. What started as a sideline hobby has grown rapidly into a thriving small business and they have now moved into a 1,400 sq ft workshop in the business centre on Chester Road.

“The space is ideal for us as we are able to use it very flexibly as a work studio with space to design new products, run our business and dispatch orders placed by our customers,” Christine said.

“We needed somewhere which was dog-friendly, as our four Italian Greyhounds come to work with us every day, and when we saw the Empress Business Centre we loved the fact that the main building is a converted Victorian brewery, in keeping with the local heritage.

“Also a huge factor in making the decision to move here was our centre manager, Ian Walker. He was really lovely to deal with and he was open and upfront about explaining how all the charges worked, so that everything was completely transparent. He gave us the confidence to know what we were getting into, despite this being our first commercial premises.”

Manager of the Empress Business Centre, Ian Walker, commented: “We have businesses of all types and sizes in the centre and it’s great to welcome another local business which is achieving such phenomenal success.”

Charley Chau products have been sold into more than 20 countries around the world and the firm has deals with Ocado and sells through Not on the High Street. The business started as a solution to a practical problem. Christine could not find a dog bed for her Italian greyhounds which was practical and comfortable, as well as stylish. Using her flair for interior design she bought some fabrics and sewed her own – and was soon inundated with requests from friends to make more.

The sisters, who live in Brooklands, Sale, both come from Corporate City backgrounds and Charley Chau is their first business. Christine formerly worked in communications for the Mayor of London and Jenny has spent much of her career working in investment banking in Hong Kong.

Now in its fourth year, Charley Chau has grown rapidly and the sisters put down their success to understanding the problems that style-conscious dog owners face when it comes to ensuring that their dogs have comfortable beds and blankets that coordinate with their home interiors. Christine said: “We know from first-hand experience the problems that dog owners face when it comes to dog bedding – lumpy, bumpy mattresses that are unusable after three months, fabrics that look ugly in your home, dog beds that don’t last beyond the first wash in your machine. We design our beds and blankets to avoid these problems and we make sure that everything is made to the highest standards to ensure that our products don’t just look fabulous, but will perform over time too.”

Bizspace’s sales and marketing director, Emma Long, added: “We are delighted that Charley Chau has chosen our Empress Business Centre as its base to grow and expand further. At Bizspace we pride ourselves on the knowledge of our staff and the friendly working atmosphere of our business centres, so it is really pleasing to know that Christine and Jenny picked up on that when making their choice.”

Bizspace is one of the UK’s leading national providers of flexible business accommodation.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Wyldfire PR .