Hotel Contract Interiors (HCI), a Manchester manufacturer and supplier of hotel and restaurant furniture, has secured a £280,000 deal with Disney’s Newport Bay Club hotel in Paris.
The business secured the order of 5,000 chairs after exhibiting its products as part of the Equip Hotel trade mission in Paris organised by the Department for International Trade (DIT) in late 2016.
HCI is now looking to further expand its offering throughout Europe by exhibiting at more trade shows and conferences across the continent.
The firm started trading overseas six years ago and already exports to markets including Ireland, France, the United States and countries across the Middle East. Exporting currently makes up 30% of the business’ annual turnover and they have plans to increase this to 50% within the next three years.
Josh Serene, Manager of HCI, said: “We started working with DIT two years after we started the business. We knew we wanted to grow and saw exporting as the natural option to fulfil our business strategy.
“We’ve worked with DIT to help us speak to the right people and learn how different markets operate. There are lots trade shows across the world, so having DIT on hand to advise us on which events we should attend has been invaluable.
“Their advice to hire a translator to help during our exhibitions was also extremely useful as we’ve been able to communicate directly with buyers, and as a result, secure some exciting contracts. I’d encourage anyone looking to start exporting to get in touch with their local DIT adviser, take the process at your own pace and really establish yourself in your own market. If we can do it, you can too.”
Paul Stowers, Head of Region – North West at the Department for International Trade, said: “There is huge potential for businesses from all sectors across the North West region to benefit from exporting.
“We’ve got a team of dedicated International Trade Advisers in the North West ready to help firms looking to explore new markets internationally. If this could be you, I’d encourage you to get in touch today and find out how we can help.”
