SUCCESS STORIES

Sundried

Essex based actitivewear brand, creates multitimillion turnover & launches new social fifitness app

Sundried® are an activewear brand that is focussed on sustainable production. Founded in 2016 by Daniel Puddick, the company predominantly sells to triathletes. They have seen steady growth and are fast becoming a recognisable brand in the sportswear market with online sales growing by over 60%.

The biggest challenges for Sundried® have been largely due to Brexit and the new and very painful hurdles of shipping goods to Europe. Costs have become overbearing, and Daniel has had to work hard to find solutions around this, which has included opening a warehouse in Europe.

To help with their future business plans, they sought help from the Manufacturing Growth Programme (MGP). To help the business grow digitally and globally without the need to export, they have created a brand-new fitness app which creates an online community for their customers to share training tips and information. Through the programme, they were able to access a grant to assist with the app’s launch.

Sarah Goodwin, Manufacturing Growth Manager of the Manufacturing Growth Programme (MGP), commented on the business, “Sundried® are a fabulous example of a company that not only provide quality products but lead on key issues such as sustainability and British manufacturing. Daniel has a clear vision for the company and his knowledge of the industry and business experience underpin this.”

Daniel Puddick commented on the MGP support; “It has really helped kick off our fitness app. This is all helping to grow and strengthen our brand identity. It is hard to know the financial value of a single activity like this where we are not selling directly on the app, but it is all part of our brand building.”

Daniel Puddick added further, “I would highly recommend speaking to MGP for support and opportunities. It is excellent to have such a focus on a single project and really helps plan accordingly.”

The business hopes to continue to grow and values the app as an integral asset to the business. After the success of the recent support and investment, 2 new jobs have been created and an increase in turnover, which now stands at £4 million.

Future plans for the business include launching a sub brand called Sundried Sport which will be more price competitive.

Daniel Puddick, Founder of Sundried
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I would highly recommend speaking to MGP for support and opportunities. It is excellent to have such a focus on a single project and really helps plan accordingly.”

– Daniel Puddick, Founder

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