Pricecheck goes global
Since distribution company Pricecheck joined the UKTI Medium Sized Business (MSB) programme, its exports have increased by 25% year on year.
With continued support from UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) it is now distributing in over 50 countries, with exports accounting for 36% of their total sales.
Pricecheck received a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the International Trade category for its continuous success over the past 6 years.
Export journey
Pricecheck had been exporting for several years – responding to enquiries that came its way. In 2012, UKTI got in touch and offered its support to help the company take a more pro-active approach.
They completed UKTI’s Passport to Export service, helping them prepare for international markets. They also became an MSB managed client, working closely with an International Trade Adviser (ITA) to develop a tailored export strategy. With the ITA’s help they identified opportunities to attend useful events and workshops.
In September 2014, they came away from the IAW international trade fair in Cologne, with 83 new contacts interested in talking further. 27 of these were from Germany, which had previously been a difficult market for them to crack.
Debbie Harrison, Managing Director of Pricecheck said:
UKTI and our ITA have inspired us to be more targeted, strategic and pro-active in pursuing overseas business.
Tradeshows have been really useful - with the right contacts, we can really trade anywhere.
Arrange a face to face meeting with an ITA and find out more about UKTI services.
Increased sales
UKTI has helped Pricecheck in various markets, including:
- Spain: With the help of an Overseas Market Introduction Service (OMIS), business grew from nothing to £500,000 that year – it is projected to grow by £1 million in the next 2 years
- Poland: an OMIS and Market Visit Support helped Pricecheck to grow its business by 39% to £665,500
- Turkey: following another OMIS, exports increased from £18,000 to £200,000
In the coming 5 years they plan to double their turnover to £80 million and increase staff numbers to 150.
Debbie said:
UKTI offers a flexible approach which we have incorporated into our own way of doing things. We have found their support to be simply brilliant.
About Pricecheck
Pricecheck is a Family business. It distributes excess stock of around 2000 leading branded consumer goods, mainly health and beauty products. The company sells them on to a variety of outlets in its global network, including:
- discount retail groups
- independent retailers
- wholesalers
- pharmacies
- mail order companies
Its 3 top markets are currently:
- the Netherlands, worth over £1.1 million
- Poland, worth over £665,000
- Sweden, worth around £620,000
It has a turnover of £41 million and a staff of 75 based at its 100,000+ square foot warehouse and office in Sheffield.
Fast facts:
| Company | Pricecheck Toiletries Limited |
| Sector | Business to business |
| UK region | Yorkshire |
| Target markets | Global |
| UKTI services | Passport to Export, MSB Programme, Overseas Market Introduction Service, Market Visit Support, Events |
| Website | www.pricecheck.uk.com |