Earlier this month, London-based Tidy Books hit crowdfunding platform Crowdcube for the second time to secure £150,000 in additional expansion funds.
The company stated it designs award-winning storage products for children. It raised £3 million in sales through its website, John Lewis, Amazon, and other big name retailers.
“We believe we meet a gap in the market with our original, stylish and practical designs inspired by every day family problems; they simply make sense to kids! We do not believe other products on the market can match Tidy Books’ combination of style and practicality. “
Tidy Books has won the following awards:
- 2015 Winner; Entrepreneur of the Year, FSB London.
- 2015 Shortlisted, Virgin Business VOOM competition
- 2013 Geraldine selected for Goldman Sachs programme; 10,000 Small Businesses
- 2013 Stevie Gold; International Woman Entrepreneur
- 2014 Silver, Loved by Parents
- 2014 Silver, NAPPA
- 2014 Shortlisted Junior Design Awards
- 2012 Silver, Mother and Baby
Funds from the new campaign will be used for digital technology, digital advertising, automation tools and expertise accelerate next month. Founder of Tidy Book, Geraldine Grandidier, spoke to Crowdcube about creating the company:
“I began Tidy Books in 2004 in my violin workshop with £500. I had shopped for a kid’s bookcase for my daughter Adele, then aged 4, but could find nothing that would work well for kids, so I made the first Tidy Books bookcase for her. The business has come a long way since my workshop days; Tidy Books is an international business, the products are sold in John Lewis, and we’re developing high spec digital platforms for the future, whilst keeping true to our traditional values of quality, care for the environment and our customers.”
Also explaining the company’s employee growth, Grandidier stated:
“We’ve got a strong team now, and we’re able to attract talent. There are five in the team, some of whom have been with us for many years, including our Digital Manager who has developed our ecommerce platforms and digital strategy. Our team of directors and board advisors bring wide expertise from areas such as finance and ecommerce: Chris Laas, our board advisor and digital expert brings a unique perspective, having previously been a trade customer of Tidy Books, and Jonathan Hirons, experienced business manager, who has helped Tidy Books shape solid foundations for growth.”
Geraldine went on to reveal what the company has been up to since its first Crowdcube raise:
“Following our Crowdcube raise in 2013, we set out to build our international presence and digital platforms. It’s been a great experience in showing how much we can achieve with a smart approach, as we’ve not only relaunched our website with new lifestyle branding, but we have also created dedicated retail platforms for France, Germany and Italy. We’ve invested in leading edge digital tools such as automated marketing, affiliate programmes and an independent review system to build our digital presence. The review system is particularly important to us, as we understand that great customer service is key to building loyalty and a ‘tribe’ – we get 5 star reviews and 100% customer satisfaction rating via our independent review system Reevoo.”
In regards to the company’s future, Grandidier added:
“Investment will enable Tidy Books to grow in three ways: by building our brand so it is aligned and working across all platforms, to grow sales by launching two new must have products in 2016 and 2017 to new and existing customers, and to continue to invest in our digital business model, using our proven advertising strategy. We’ll build on our already solid platform of sound manufacturing, successful products and an expert team, but investment will enable us to build capacity in our team. As we grow, we’ll keep reinvesting profits into the business as we build our brand for a worldwide audience, and realise our vision: A Tidy Books design in every family home, worldwide.”
Tidy Book’s campaign is set to close next month.
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