STRATHBERRY of Scotland is planning on further growth after securing its first contract in China and sealing an agreement closer to home to be stocked in Harvey Nichols.
The luxury accessories brand, which has its headquarters and retail premises in Edinburgh, will see a range of its products going into the Beijing and Shanghai stores of a retail chain called Estate.
Guy Hundleby, Strathberry of Scotland managing director, said that the deal came about following an event organised by UK Trade & Investment to encourage businesses to trade in China.
He said: "Estate is about bringing UK luxury brands into
China and they like what we do."
Mr Hundleby, co-founder of the business along with creative director Clare Robertson, suggested women's and men's goods would be sold in just the two stores initially, but that it was likely the products would be expanded into other Estate stores across the country.
He said: "As a relatively small business, we have to stay focused.
"This allows us to make a start in China, which is tremendously exciting."
Alongside that, Strathberry's male range, including a £4350 tweed golf bag, is going to be sold by Harvey Nichols in Edinburgh.
Mr Hundleby said: "We have been working on that for a while and it is great we are going to be in there before the Christmas period."
If the Strathberry of Scotland brand performs well in the upmarket department store, Mr Hundleby is hopeful Harvey Nichols will take more products in Scotland as well as into its stores in England and its overseas locations in the Middle East, Turkey and China.
He said: "When we set about positioning the brand, we felt Harvey Nichols would be a great fit for it so we are delighted to be building that relationship."
Strathberry of Scotland, set up almost two years ago, makes goods including wallets, tablet computer covers, scarves and bags, with prices starting at £155.
Each of its bags, which have prices starting at around £400, is said to take at least 12 hours of work to complete. The tweed used - a blend of linen and silk, which is said to be lighter than many other tweeds - is woven at a mill in Peebles in the Scottish Borders.
Mr Hundleby said the company was looking for further retailers to stock its products, with a particular focus on the US at the moment, to add to its tie-up with the Massimo Bizzocchi store in New York. He added: "We hope we can be a £4 million to £5m pound business in the next couple of years and we are pleased with our progress so far."
The company's 750 square feet flagship store is in the Grassmarket in Edinburgh.
It recently won Most Stylish Retailer at the Scottish Style Awards.
Strathberry is also stocked at Skibo Castle, The Renaissance Club at Archerfield in East Lothian and in the pro shop at Kingsbarns Golf Club in St Andrews.
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