Cheadle startup Urban Botanist chosen for Growth Hub Week exhibit

The Urban Botanist, a Cheadle-based company that sells hand-crafted glass containers featuring exotic plants, is representing the Greater Manchester business community at an exhibition in London as part of Growth Hub Week.

The company, which joins Blackpool startup Skribbies and two other English businesses at the event, was founded in 2013 and has now set its sights on expanding into Europe and beyond before the year’s end.

When it first launched, The Urban Botanist received digital marketing support from the Business Growth Hub, which is part of the Manchester Growth Company.

Hub director Richard Jeffery said the firm is “a great example” of a business getting its products in front of a wider audience and generating sales through an enhanced digital presence.

Discussing the work of the Business Growth Hub, he said: “What we’ve achieved in Greater Manchester so far has been phenomenal.

“We’ve helped companies to contribute £81m to the regional economy, raise £57m of business funding and create 6,000 jobs.”

Richard added: “Growth Hub Week provides a platform to celebrate our successes on a national scale and showcase some of the fantastic businesses we have worked with.”

Kicking off on Monday (May 16), Growth Hub Week was launched by the Department of Business Innovation & Skills to celebrate the work of the country’s 39 Growth Hubs. Today, the Growth Hub network reaches 4.7m business across the UK, of which 105k are in Greater Manchester.

Business Minister Anna Soubry, who paid a visit to the exhibition, commented: “Small businesses are the beating heart of our economy and this government continues to build the right environment for them to thrive.

“We will keep cutting red tape and business taxes, improving access to finance and broadband, and taking forward the measures in the Enterprise Act to cement our position as the best place in Europe to do business.”

She continued: “Growth Hubs have already helped thousands of businesses and, with the full network up and running, every registered business in England can access the expertise they need to succeed.

“They will help entrepreneurs boost their business and create more jobs for people in the local area.”