Member Article

Growing sports nutrition business appoints Chamber International to support export drive

A major export drive is underway by a £40m turnover fitness and wellbeing business for its new range of sports nutrition supplements following their successful UK launch last year.

Yorkshire company, Hi Mark International, has appointed overseas trade specialist, Chamber International, to help export its new Body Sculpture sports nutrition range which has gained a significant percent of the company’s UK turnover since being launched at the start of 2018.

The new Body Sculpture range, manufactured in the UK and EU to rigorous quality standards, including Halal and US Federal Drug Administration (FDA), was devised by Hi Mark International managing director, Kevin Dunk, and is being sold through e-commerce by the company online and through major retailers and health and fitness centres.

Hi Mark International, which can trace its Bradford roots back to the 1960s, also manufactures a wide range of fitness and sports goods, including exercise bikes, treadmills and rowing machines, in China, which are imported for sale in the UK and exported to 65 countries worldwide through a sales office in Taipei, Taiwan.

Leading sellers in new branded sports nutrition range are Body Sculpture Lean Burn, designed to help users focus on burning fat and sculpt their body as part of an active lifestyle; Body Sculpture Glucomannan 6+ Weight Loss, which the company says is scientifically proven to contribute to reducing weight; protein powders in perfect portion individual supplement sachets.

Initial target export markets selected by Hi Mark International, working alongside Chamber International export advisers, are UAE, China, Singapore and Europe.

Kevin Dunk, who joined the business three years ago after a 25-year close association when he managed the fitness and sporting goods sector for a major UK retailer, says: “Our Body Sculpture UK sales are developing rapidly, and we are now starting exports for this new and exciting product range.

“The UK sports nutrition market is growing and is forecast to grow considerably in some overseas markets. We believe the opportunity exists for a truly global brand proposition but there are challenges, as with all food exports, so we will be taking our growth in planned strategic steps.

“Chamber International is a trusted organisation, perfectly placed to support us by enabling direct contact with key decision makers, and assisting our exports cost effectively as we gain traction in these markets.”

Hi Mark International, which has more than 400 staff involved in manufacture overseas, opened a new 75,000 m2 manufacturing base in Xiamen, China, in 2009. The company’s £40m turnover is divided equally between its existing fitness and sporting goods product ranges. The UK team has grown with the recruitment of a sales executive and a digital marketing specialist, to support the growth of the business.

Chamber International will be using its overseas networks to support export of the Body Sculpture range with overseas product registration with major retailers, distributors, online retailers, pharmacies and potential sellers in each country’s supplements and vitamins market.

Chamber International director, Tim Bailey, says: “The rigorous quality standards applied for the development of the Body Sculpture brand, including Halal approval and an FDA-accredited UK manufacturer, creates a strong platform for exporting into a rapidly-growing health and fitness market and our team is working to develop contacts in the initial target countries.”

Chamber International helps hundreds of new and experienced exporters throughout the UK with a wide range of specialist services to make exporting easier and more cost effective.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Mike Clarke Communications .