A Highland soap company is enjoying a sales boost after a link up with ITV’s This Morning show has raised its profile.
After the products were discovered by one of the day time show’s bosses during a visit to The Highland Soap Company’s Pitlochry store, they were approached and asked if they could supply their products for the show’s branded goody bags which are given away to competition winners.
Presenters Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby showed viewers the new additions to the goody bag on air on Monday which included Scottish honeysuckle soap and Hebridean Sea salt hand sanitiser.
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And it is not the first time the Fort William-based company has been given a mention on the show. Soap company bosses were shocked to learn they had been featured on a section on the best winter hand sanitisers.
Archie MacDonald, co-owner and director, said: “We wrote to thank them for featuring us and it transpired one of their team discovered our products in our little shop in Pitlochry, in the Highlands, and introduced it to their studio.
“It was reviewed on air and Holly Willoughby loved the Highland Lavender but Phillip Schofield said “oooh” to the whisky and honey - and wanted to lick his hands.
“They got in touch again wanting to place an order of wild Scottish raspberry hand sanitiser for their office.
“It then led to them asking if we would supply This Morning branded products for their goody bags. The exposure is fantastic in raising our profile and it is great they are supportive of small businesses.”
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Online orders soared after the company’s first mention on the show and already Mr MacDonald says they are seeing increased activity on their website.
“I checked the site and orders within half an hour of us being featured and already I could see there was a spike,” he added. “The first time we were mentioned we had never had a day like it and sold hundreds of bottles of sanitiser in the one day.”
Highland Soap Company opened a new location last year
Founded by 20 years ago by Emma Parton and is the only firm in the UK to incorporate Bog Myrtle essential oil into its products, a plant which has been used for centuries to treat skin conditions and is also said to repel midges.
Mr MacDonald came on board and the firm, which also produces luxury candles, has experienced rapid growth over the past two years.
Last year the family-run brand opened a new multi-million pound factory and visitor centre in Lochaber.
It is modelled on a whisky distillery visitor centre, allowing customers to see how the products are made.
The site for the company's new factory and visitor centre, which opened in December, has personal significance for Mr MacDonald. While it was more recently a social club used by employees at the former British Aluminium factory, his ancestor, a distiller known as ‘Long John’ was a tenant farmer there, 200 years ago.
The company has high hopes for this year and is looking to open more shops.
“Just before lockdown last year we attended a trade show in Birmingham and received orders off the back of that which was good timing for us,” added Mr MacDonald. “We are looking to expand and would consider opening more outlets later this year. One of our dream locations would be on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.”
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