West Yorkshire music business undergoes expansion following boost in worldwide demand

A West Yorkshire-based music retailer has created new jobs and doubled the size of its premises to keep up with demand from across the world for its musical instrument bags.

Launched in 2008 by four women, Fusion offers products that protect musicians’ instruments and help them travel and tour with ease.

Fusion’s 100 different products are sold all over the world, with 80% sold outside of the UK.

Nicole Szekeres, co-founder of Liversedge-based Fusion, said: “Bestselling countries include the USA, Australia, Canada, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Argentina.”

The £500k turnover business has an average online order value of £135, with online sales rising by 25% in 2017 – and increasing further over the Christmas period, according to Nicole.

Fusion’s growth has resulted in the creation of two new jobs. Sarah Cowley has joined the firm as Fusion’s new office administrator, and Jaswinder Bhatt as a warehouse operative.

In addition, Fusion has expanded its Liversedge warehouse from 1,625 sq ft to 3409 sq ft by taking on a neighbouring unit.

Nicole added: “As we approach our 10th anniversary we are thrilled to take on Sarah and Jaswinder and to open our expanded new premises.

“We worked with a local electrician, carpenter and builder to redevelop our existing warehouse as we knocked through into the neighbouring building.

“Like Fusion, these talented contractors have a commitment to quality and innovation in design and manufacturing.

“They completed the project on time and to budget, and the larger site means we now have all of our business functions under one roof and more room for stock to meet demand from all over the world.”

Bagpipe bags are Fusion’s top selling products across the world, according to Nicole, who added that Fusion’s varied guitar, trombone, ukulele and trumpet bags fill the rest of the firm’s top ten products.

Nicole concluded: “The world is going crazy for bagpipes right now, and we’ve experienced 25% growth in online retail sales this year. We’re even selling bags to Hawaii and Japan.”