Member Article

European partnership equals growth for Manchester furnishings firm

Manchester-based online interiors and accessories company Kauram is enjoying increased custom and a wider product portfolio following business development and export advice from Enterprise Europe Network North West (EENW).

Described as an ‘online shopping’ mall which means the organisation stocks anything from survival kits to health and beauty products, Kauram originally specialised in the sale of home and commercial lighting, small furniture and semi-precious stone jewellery.

Owner-manager Maria Kompanowski wanted to increase the company’s presence and market share but was struggling to find the right connections and products to sell on the online shop.

Maria commented: “As an e-commerce business with international shipping capabilities, the type of products and places we can sell to is endless. I wanted to improve the company’s website and broaden the scope of products but didn’t know where to turn to for advice.”

Maria was signposted to EENW after she saw an advertisement for EENW’s International Trade Show. Over the last three years, the European Enterprise Network has held more than 19,000 local events for small businesses, which has allowed the organisation to attract more than 742,000 participants across Europe.

“I attended my first EENW event in 2010 where I was assigned a business adviser. The event was the perfect opportunity for me to understand how to make trading contacts and consider products to sell from across Europe.

“Since then I have attended numerous seminars which have made me more confident when approaching other businesses and thanks to the partnership advice I have had from EENW, we have made trading contracts with a number of organisations from France and Italy to Bulgaria and Romania.”

EENW is a hub for knowledge for all businesses and any new start-up, business owner or owner manager who is seeking advice on how to take their organisation to the next level should make speaking to an adviser high on their agenda.

Jens Boehm, business adviser from Enterprise Europe Network North West commented: “There is often a perception that the European market is hard to break into and business owners don’t know where to turn to for advice.

“By attending events such as our International Trading Event at Haydock, North West businesses can take full advantage of the advice to hand, hear about experiences of other companies that have worked with EENW and make connections for trading links with other countries across the continent.”

Today Kauram not only trades with a number of other European countries but has also increased its product portfolio which now features handmade leather goods from Brandia, a company in North Poland.

Maria commented: “Most recently, EENW helped us to find a company in Poland who could supply handmade leather goods for us to sell on our website.

“I was particularly interested in products from Poland as they are usually better quality than those from countries such as China. It is also cheaper from an import perspective and means that we have stronger European relationships.

“We are very excited about this partnership as it means we have new products to sell and will expose Brandia to a new audience.”

For more information and to make an appointment to speak to a representative at EENW visit http://www.eenw.org/

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Simon Malia .