Business to Business Best All-Round Business or Brand with Annual Sales of £5 million to £10 million Sponsored by
International Dance Supplies
to find good quality, affordable leotards for her students. With a £50 loan from her mother, Walker bought an old sewing machine and began making her own leotards. Word soon spread and other teachers began asking Walker to make items for them. As the business grew, Walker made the decision to stop teaching and concentrate on expanding her company from leotards to include a complete range of dance garments.
I 2010/2011 catalogue
What the judges said “A remarkably dedicated company, striving relentlessly to serve its customers with great merchandise and outstanding service.” Dan Croxen-John
In their own words... “It’s such a wonderful achievement for everybody. It’s really important because it represents the business-to- business community, which is just so special.” Anne Walker
Pictured (l-r): Dermot Murnaghan, Emily Antrobus, Jillian Bamsey, Anne Walker, Kim Michael (Citipost)
ecmod DIRECT COMMERCE YEAR BOOK 2011 25
Fast-forward to 2010, and IDS now has annual sales of more than £7 million, a global customer base of more than 14,000 dance teachers and dance shops, and a state-of-the-art 26,600 sq-ft warehouse and office in Devon. The year has had personal high points for Walker too—in 2010 she was awarded an MBE for services to business at the
nternational Dance Supplies was founded 32 years ago by Anne Walker, a dance teacher who was struggling
Queen’s Honours List, a Stevie Award for best entrepreneur, and became one of Everywoman’s 100 Founding Modern Muses.
Two of International Dance Supplies’ biggest milestones in 2010 were opening up its wholesale website to the general public enabling visitors to browse the collection before setting up a trade account and setting up a b-to-c website that allows parents to buy their children approved dance uniforms from selected schools. In addition, last year saw IDS sign significant new contracts, launch an email marketing programme and social networking elements, and grow its US business to 35 states within 12 months — all helping to strengthen International Dance Supplies’ motto of being “more than just a dancewear company...”
IDS’s pearl of wisdom for 2011 “Be passionate and believe in what you’re doing.”
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