MADE IN BRITAIN
WHAT MORE UK ANNOUNCES PHASE TWO OF ITS AMBITIOUS INVESTMENT PROGRAMME
BRITISH MANUFACTURING IS ALIVE AND WELL
Lancashire housewares manufacturer and exporter, What More UK, is planning a brand new 200,000 sq ft factory adjacent to its existing site in Altham as part of a £20m investment plan. The proposed building, which
is currently awaiting planning permission, will increase the firm’s overall floor space by around 40 percent. Three quarters of the new development will be given over to manufacturing capacity. This will also require a similar increase in staffing levels. What More UK is one of the largest and most important housewares manufacturers in the UK. It’s the organisation behind the popular brand Wham, available in every major UK supermarket and a further 1600 independent retailers.
Miles Parkinson OBE, leader of Hyndburn Borough Council, comments: “We welcome this development from What More UK. They’re one of the top employers in Hyndburn and we’re proud to have such a progressive company here on our doorstep. They’ve made a great contribution to the local economy and with this latest piece of news it
looks set to grow in the future.” Directors at What More UK see investments of this kind as an ongoing process. Company Director Tony Grimshaw OBE, explains: “At What More we never stay still. We’re always trying to keep one step ahead of the competition, and the way to do that is through continual investment in machines, estate, and people.” The new building project is part of a £20m investment programme including 13 new injection moulding machines, five of which have already arrived at What More’s existing factory with a further eight scheduled for delivering in the coming months.
Antony Higginbotham, MP for
Burnley, comments: “I welcome the news that What More UK is investing in a new factory in Pennine Lancashire, the traditional heartland of British Manufacturing. Companies like What More UK prove that manufacturing is alive and well in the UK, and continuing to offer quality employment in Burnley, Padiham and surrounding areas.”
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www.whatmoreuk.com
Leading Lancashire housewares manufacturer What More UK has announced the next stage of its £20m investment programme. It’s excellent news for the regional and national economy coming days after the Chancellor announced his plan to boost the country’s GDP through business investment. What More has increased its
production capacity with eight brand new injection moulding machines and a fully integrated bakeware production line, that includes a pneumatic press capable of producing 1,200 items per hour. What More has also ordered a further two bakeware machines which they expect to arrive later this month. Since the start of the pandemic What More UK has experienced strong demand for many of its housewares lines. This demand is not restricted to the UK and Europe but is emerging as a global trend. What More UK currently exports its products, all made in Lancashire, to 75 countries around the world. The company has also announced it will be looking for a further 25 new members of staff to help keep up with the demand. Tony Grimshaw OBE, a director at What More UK, comments: “We’ve been experiencing high demand and these latest measures are a response to that we’ve bought state-of-the- art machines and we’re training up a new generation of apprentices to maintain them.”
BRITISH DOG BRAND WUFWUF SECURES ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT
Dog subscription box brand WufWuf was founded by Umut Ilhan and Caner Bayraktar in 2018. They are offering a monthly joy box for dogs with toys and treats for £18.90. Every month is a complete surprise with a brand new theme.
Co-founder and CEO Umut Ilhan, says: “Playing is super beneficial for our dogs’ health. Humans have gyms for fitness and things like films for entertainment. Whereas our pets rely on us for their fitness and entertainment. They need us to help them keep active.” Humans don’t want to play with the same toy forever, it’s the same for dogs; they get bored too. That’s why they decided to set up a subscription-based model. Each box comes with a new activity to keep life exciting. Wufwuf has over 10,000 customers in 33 countries. Six months ago, WufWuf decided to
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ship to all EU countries, as well as Switzerland, Japan and Israel. They have been thrilled by the reaction. Over 90 percent of their customers are in the UK, however, the number of international customers keeps growing.
Dogs speak one language: love! Umut adds: “It is so gratifying to help bring people and dogs together. We are receiving thousands of happy dog photos from our subscribers every month. Dogs are full of love no matter the country, colour or language. They love unconditionally.” Since the pandemic started, the pet industry has been experiencing unprecedented growth. Investors are looking for opportunities within this lucrative sector. WufWuf managed to secure a £270,000 investment in 48 hours, even though they were only looking for £150,000. They have raised £600,000 so far. Caner says: “Everyone in our
team is a pet owner. We started by defining the challenges we have with our own dogs and then working to create solutions in the form of interactive toys such as our very popular WufSalad. We have recently started our B2B sales channel, and we have been able to export the WufSalad to Italy, Czech Republic, Iceland, Finland, Denmark and The Netherlands within three months. Our products are now featured in retail chains.” Their
subscribers have been asking why they don’t offer a cat box. They have always wanted to,
APRIL 2021 DIY WEEK 23
but they needed more resources as they were only a team of seven. As a result of securing new funds, they have added eight new pet-obsessed people to their team, and they will launch their cat subscription box, My Meow, on May 15.
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https://wufwuf.co.uk
Projects like this one announced by What More UK will play an important role in growing our GDP and rebuilding the national economy. The global nature of the demand is particularly encouraging. What More UK owns and manufactures housewares of all kinds including the popular brand Wham. The company also produces bakeware and cookware, around the sink items and products for home offices and utility rooms. On the outside of the home, What More produces gardenwares like planters, window boxes, and troughs. Its products are available in all major UK supermarkets and 1,600 independent retailers in the UK. As proud members of Made in Britain, What More also export products, each with a Union Jack logo throughout the world.
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www.whatmoreuk.com
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