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Somerset company moves manufacturing to UK

In response to the issues associated with Brexit that have severely disrupted the supply chain with imported goods, Hippychick a Somerset based baby business, has successfully moved some of its manufacturing into the UK.

Their first UK-produced Hippychick product has just come off the lines and has arrived in the Hippychick warehouse – on time, on budget and in the quantities ordered. 

Production was outsourced by Hippychick to ‘Thimble’ also Somerset-based and a specialist in baby accessories.  The company has been inundated with work since the repercussions of Brexit and are looking forward to a buoyant future with Hippychick and other business operating in the baby sector. 

Julia Minchin, Managing Director at Hippychick said: “Customers are so used to ordering and getting next day delivery.  No one wants to have to wait weeks and even months, particularly with baby products which are outgrown at such a pace.  Working with Thimble has been really refreshing.  Not only have they produced on time – a huge rarity in these challenging times, but it’s been so easy for us to work with a business that’s not just UK based but is literally on our doorstep.”

But there are also downsides: “Pricing is currently an issue as manufacturing in the UK is considerably more expensive than the Far East,” said Julia, “However, the upside is being able to fulfil orders without delays which in themselves can be costly.  As demand grows prices will hopefully start to level out, making it feasible to produce more of our goods in this country going forwards.”

Hippychick is most famous for its Hipseat baby carrier, the founding product in the portfolio, as well as it’s all in one waterproofs. 

“We sell 5,000 retail pieces per annum and bringing these to UK would be quite a sizeable piece of business for a manufacturer.   We’re delighted to hear from any businesses on our shores who might have the capacity to work with us,” Julia added.

Further information about Hippychick from www.hippychick.com

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