Online4baby benefits from online switch as it eyes sales of £100m
An online retailer of baby products is aiming to reach a turnover of £100m in the next three years after posting record results for 2021.
Greater Manchester-headquartered Online4baby achieved a turnover of £40m over the last 12 months, up from £31.5m in 2020 and £14m in 2019.
The company said it has benefitted from the shift to internet shopping during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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The business can trace its roots back to 1987 but its current form was established in 2005 by sisters Christy Foster and Cheryl Blayds with their husbands Darren and Warren.
It currently employs over 50 staff across its offices in Hollinwood, near Oldham, and its warehouse and customer services operations in Chadderton.
To support its expansion, Online4baby has recruited 13 staff to its head office this year including Nick Cooling and Karen Miah to the newly-created roles of chief financial officer and e-commerce manager respectively.
The latest arrival, Tom Fotheringham, joins in early 2022 as chief marketing officer.
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Online4baby sells items ranging from prams, buggies and car seats to cots, high chairs, nursery furniture, baby walkers, swings and playpens. It has its own brands, Puggle and 4Baby, and sells labels such as Joie.
Managing director Christy Foster said: “The shift to online shopping and increased awareness of our platform have helped us achieve strong organic growth over the past few years.
“As we don’t have bricks and mortar sites, we are able to offer extremely good value to consumers. As a result, we have seen revenues grow substantially and, with our investment in key staff, our infrastructure and product ranges, we believe a target of reaching £100m in revenues within the next three years is realistic.
“To help us manage our recent growth and our future plans, we have brought in professionals of an extremely high calibre to fill a variety of new roles.
“Nick and Karen are a great fit for the business and bring significant experience of working with growing companies.
“We are confident Tom will also be a great addition to the team as we develop the business over the coming years and transition to the next level, while continuing to provide the best possible customer experience.”
Rowan Executive Search teamed up with the business to create a new leadership structure.
Paul Waite, managing director of Rowan, added: “Working with Christy and her adviser Ed Hunter to support Online4baby in creating a leadership team matched to the company’s ambitions has been a pleasure.
“Appointing an impressive leadership team with the experience aligned to their international growth plans and with the Online4baby DNA to complement the current team underpins the Rowan philosophy.
“I look forward to seeing the continued success of the expanded team over the coming years giving further proof to our mantra of people-powered growth.”