An East Yorkshire-based business inspired by premature twin babies is on track for a £2m turnover this year.
The Lovely Gift Group is marking ten years since mum-of-three, Helen Davies, launched her first online store selling keepsakes. Helen’s son Zac, who is now 17 and in the sixth form at South Hunsley, pressed the button to officially make The Lovely Keepsake Company live in June 2015.
Helen’s twins, Anya and Xavi, whose ten weeks in Hull Hull Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) as premature babies inspired the business, are now also at South Hunsley, in Year 7, and all three children regularly help out at the company, now based in four industrial units in Newport.
Since launching ten years ago, the business has grown exponentially, now with in-house personalised gift production, six further consumer websites, two retail brands, a wholesale business and the recent acquisition of personalised gift business, Always Personal. Employing 14 team members, the company has come a long way from the dining table in South Newbald and a garage stacked high with boxes of stock.
Joined by husband Jason in 2020, Helen negotiated investment from Finance Yorkshire who acquired 30 per cent of the business for £300,000. This injection enabled the team to purchase machinery and open up procurement from the Far East, both of which helped transform the company’s scale capabilities and the opportunity to meet increasing demands from trade customers and consumers.
Helen said: “Ten years really has gone in a flash in both a family and business sense. That little boy, who was so excited to press the launch button, now works for us every Monday in the warehouse outside of studying, and we have a whole team of terrific people now working with us.
“I honestly love every product we design and sale we make and I really do have regular ‘pinch me’ moments when I literally see dreams become reality. We still have so much more to do and so many plans yet to realise and I thank each and every one of our team members who give so much day in day out. Being trusted with someone’s precious keepsakes really is a privilege that we all take seriously.”
(Image: thelovelygiftgroup.co.uk)
The Lovely Keepsake Company launched on June 5, 2015 after two years of research following the birth of Helen’s premature twins in May 2013. Helen and Jason raised £52,772 to thank Hull NICU, where the idea for the company was also born.
Specialist sites Lovely NICU Gifts and Lovely Memorial Gifts have since come along. Despite being hugely affected by the Covid crisis, with the cancellation of weddings, parties and family get-togethers, the team were able to quickly design and create brand new gifts to say thank you, miss you and to celebrate key workers, online teachers and NHS staff, which resulted in a huge rise in orders.
Humber Business Growth Hub was a huge support during that period, through advice, loans and grants, which gave them confidence to try to scale the business. The Lovely Gift Group’s goods are sold by a number of well-known garden centre and lifestyle businesses, as well as via online and bricks and mortar stores in the UK and Europe.
Helen said: “Taking one day at a time, but always looking five years ahead, had helped to steer us towards what we always knew was possible, but felt like a dream for a long time. We have remained true to our specialised area, researched our markets thoroughly and never taken a step without considering whether it was ‘Caring, Quality, Creative’. That mantra has served us well and I look forward to pushing ahead for another ten years.”
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