Packing up a case full of luxury to support other Welsh businesses
28/07/20
28/07/20
Abigail is the proud founder of the Welsh Luxury Hamper Company based in Chepstow. It provides luxury hampers with products sourced from all around Wales, inspired by Wales’ beautiful landscape and heritage.
Created only eight months ago, the business has been extremely busy during lockdown and has since started supplying two additional corporate clients with ongoing contracts, with a surge in online sales.
Abigail has secured an opportunity to work with John Lewis from December supplying a pop-up shop and is currently in negotiations with Fine & Country and various other corporate 
customers, plus the Welsh Luxury Hamper Company has recently been awarded the accolade of Best Luxury & Corporate Gift 2020 – Wales, by the UK Enterprise Awards.
“It has always been my dream to own a successful Welsh company that supports other businesses. The products are carefully selected and represent the beautiful country where I have grown up.”
How Start Up Loans helped to make Abigail’s idea a reality
Business in Focus supported Abigail to secure a £9,000 loan from the Start Up Loans Company to launch her new venture. In addition to finance, Abigail received mentoring support from experienced business advisor, Craig Tamplin, and was referred to Business Wales for advice on employment.
As the coronavirus pandemic took hold of the nation and the business did not qualify for any grants, Abigail was granted a repayment holiday by the Start Up Loans Company to ensure the business could continue trading through lockdown.
“Start Up Loans Company and Business in Focus accompanied me throughout this journey and I have been very pleased with their services. As I had no experience before in business management, I really appreciated being mentored by professional experts”
Plans for the future
Covid-19 created a very unsure future for the business but with support of the Princes Trust Relief grant, Abigail has not only been fortunate to maintain the business through the pandemic but has been able to regain her confidence to work on diversifying the business and developing some exciting new products. The latest offering are Welsh Luxury Letterbox Hampers that are affordable, available to a wider audience and is in line with Government guidelines being a contactless service.
“I am so thankful to everyone who has supported me”
What is a Start Up Loan?
A Start Up Loan is a government-backed personal loan available to individuals over 18 looking to start or grow a business in the UK. The main goal of the Start Up Loans scheme is to ensure that viable start-ups have access to the finance and support they need in order to thrive.