Talk Business

TALK SUCCESS
FACE ON THE COVER
EVERY TIME I GO TO AN
AIRPORT I SEE A KID WHIZZ
PAST ON A TRUNKI. WHAT’S
THE SECRET OF THE SUCCESS?
It’s all about understanding the
customer, and we have two –
the parent and the child. The
parent is looking for utility
and function, while the child is
looking for fun and personality.
I think the success is also in the
great design.
WHICH TRUNKI IS THE
BEST SELLER?
Trixie and then Terence. The UK
third best seller is the Gruffalo
case – based on a character from
a children’s book – which is our
most expensive case.
HOW DID YOU SECURE
DEALS WITH BIG RETAILERS
LIKE JOHN LEWIS, ARGOS
AND HALFORDS?
In the early days I got turned
down by all of them. So, at first
we sold online pushing through
PR to build awareness. Dragons’
Den gave us a boost too.
When we had traction, the
big retailers approached us. My
advice when you’re talking to
big retailers is to be aware that
they have lots of terms. Never
give your price until you know
their terms.
WHAT WOULD YOUR ADVICE
BE TO FIRST TIME BUSINESSES
THAT ARE EXPERIENCING
DIFFICULTIES IN THE CURRENT
ECONOMIC CLIMATE?
If it was easy, everyone would
be doing it. Embrace the
challenges and tackle them head
on, quickly and economically.
YOU ALREADY TRADE IN 97
COUNTRIES, BUT I SEE YOU’RE
PLANNING TO EXPAND FURTHER
– WHAT IS YOUR STRATEGY?
We have a dedicated
distribution team in the UK,
France and Germany, we’ve also
sold really well in Scandinavia
despite it being a small market.
We’re looking to set up an office
in France and Germany and
are raising money through the
Business Growth Fund.
We have been international
from day one, our press
releases were sent to bloggers
all over the world and our
website got traffic from Japan,
and the US, and more.
TRUNKI LOOKS LIKE A FUN
PLACE TO WORK. HOW DO
YOU ENGAGE AND RETAIN
YOUR STAFF?
To take the business to the next
level you have to have a great
team around you. We’ve worked
hard on our business values
so we all have a clear picture
of what we’re about. We’re in
business to make innovative
travel gear for families on the go.
Each staff member gets
£1000 for professional
Dragons’ Den
was not a
major event
for me – we’ve
had other
mountains to
climb, like the
hand luggage
ban in 2006
development, which they can
spend, on things like marketing
and language courses.
The working environment is
also important. We have high
ceilings and astroturf carpets,
and lots of fun elements in the
office, including a big yellow
slide [on the cover].
LOOKS FUN. DO YOU GO
DOWN THE SLIDE MUCH?
No – but the bank manager
insists on it!
HONG KONG COMPANY,
KIDDEE CASE WAS
RECENTLY FOUND GUILTY OF
INFRINGEMENT OF TRUNKI.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Last year at a toy fair we found
them exhibiting, we told then
to remove their stand and they
did. However when we saw
them again, they refused to back
down so we had to pursue the
legal route. Their product was
not totally identical but was
found in violation of ours in the
High Court. They had to stop
selling the product.
Everyone thinks a patent is
the be all and end all, but design
registration from the Intellectual
Property Office costs £300, is
cheaper and provides protection.
Contact: trunki.com
Watch Rob on Dragons’ Den here:
tinyurl.com/RobLawDragonsDen
22 NOVEMBER 2013