Skribbies co-founder lands Growth Hub exhibition spotlight

Blackpool-based entrepreneur Jennifer Duthie is showcasing her business concept in London this week after her children’s fashion startup, Skribbies, was selected for inclusion in the Spotlight on Growth Hubs exhibition.

Jennifer started her business, which sells customisable kids’ shoes, in 2013 after turning to the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership’s (LEP) Boost Business Lancashire growth hub for support.

In the years since its launch, Skribbies has begun working with retailers and distributors across France, Germany, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands.

Now, Jennifer is exhibiting her enterprise at the Spotlight on Growth Hubs event held as part of Growth Hub Week, which kicked off on Monday (May 16).

Discussing the help she received from Boost Business Lancashire in bringing her ideas to fruition, Jennifer said: “The support from Boost was incredible. It really honed my focus on critical aspects of my business and the interaction with other start-up stage entrepreneurs was particularly insightful.

“Skribbies has really taken off and is going from strength to strength. We are looking forward to further growth in the coming months.”

Put together by the Department for Business Innovation & Skills at its London HQ, the exhibition was launched to celebrate the work of growth hubs across the country.

Mike Blackburn, Chair of the LEP’s Business Support Programme Board, said: “I am delighted that the work of the LEP and Boost in the field of business support is now achieving national recognition.

“Encouraging business growth is a key strand of our ambitious, strategic programme to transform Lancashire’s economy over the next decade, fuel substantial economic growth and create thousands of new jobs in Lancashire.”

Mike continued: “We have introduced a number of innovative initiatives to help local enterprises succeed and Boost is one of the most important and effective. Over the next few years, it will help thousands of local businesses like Skribbies to grow and prosper.”

Since it was set up in 2013, Boost Business Lancashire has supported more than 2,800 firms across the county, creating around 1,200 new jobs and stimulating new economic activity worth an estimated £50m.

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