10 | WESTPAC AUCKLAND BUSINESS AWARDS Edwards & Co Sue Russell Strollers a ‘smooth ride’ for parents The award-winning team at Edwards & Co. One company that is really going places is Auckland-based infant transport and nursery equipment business Edwards & Co. Lead by Mark Edwards, the company has big ambitions its fulfilling to take its offering to overseas markets, and compete with much bigger international brands. CEO, Ben Whitley describes Mark as a brilliant designer. Having spent many years working overseas in HR, Mark and his father Warwick established Edwards & Co because they could see a real gap in the market offering for user-friendly baby and toddler prams and strollers. “What Mark really noticed was just how challenging some strollers and prams were for people to set up and close down fold. He witnessed a lady Grandmother leave a pram behind because she couldn’t work out how to drop it down and fold it down to fit in her car,” says Ben. Attaching, what Ben describes as quite ‘gimmicky’ fixtures and features to the basic pram or stroller was something else Mark noticed. “It’s a stressful enough time for parents moving around with young children and the last thing they want is unnecessary clutter. They just want to know the product is well-designed for the child and the person walking, is simple and quick to use.” The design process involves researching directly from parents what it is they like and don’t like in design features. Spending time on the floor at baby shows and the like provided Mark and the team with plenty of constructive feedback. After years of carrying a small loyal following in New Zealand Ben says particularly since 2019, demand has soared. “Now in New Zealand we’re the leading brand and there is a stagnant or declining birth-rate so we’re putting a lot of time and energy into new products as well as reaching into overseas markets which involves a lot of travel on my part, leaving Mark free to concentrate on design, which is his strength and passion.” The underpinning vision or message Edwards & Co espouses is to ‘Give Parents the Smoothest Possible Ride’. “We offer a comprehensive after sales service and that’s an important part of our model, with free service days.” Part of the businesses push towards sustainable practice is the view that a stroller or pram or piece of nursery equipment will be maintained in good order and can be passed on to other parents when no longer required. And the surge into marketing overseas has led Edwards & Co into being nominated for two categories in this year’s Westpac Auckland Business Awards: Excellence in International Trade and People’s Choice, the latter which they won When Business North spoke with Ben he had just returned from an intensive two-week work assignment in the UK, visiting a large international trade show in Harrogate, England. “I was there to introduce the brand to new retailers. We came away with a commitment from a number of retailers. It confirmed our sense that the UK was the right market for us.” The two to four year strategy is to grow that market which, Ben says, is full of scope and opportunity. Edwards & Co is also based in Melbourne and Ben says the Australian market is proving very positive, with a recent ranging agreement with Baby Bunting, Australia’s largest nursery retailer. Edwards & Co receives a lot of help from New Zealand Trade & Enterprise who assist with providing information and guidance on a framework to identify different markets. The company’s product line is manufactured in China where, Ben says, there’s a real expertise when it comes to technology and manufacturing process. And there’s been a healthy response by the team to meet new ways customers engage when buying product these days. “We’ve put a lot of investment into the digital, social-media platforms with changes to on-line shopping. Part of our success with this has been to add-value for parents on these mediums, creating a community around the products.” As for winning People’s Choice at this year’s awards Ben says they are all very humbled by that recognition of just delivering products that work really well for Mums and Dads. A new product had just arrived into the Edwards & Co base in Silverdale. Called ‘Olive’ it is a pram that converts into a double. “We had customers so excited about this new product that they said they were planning their family around its arrival!”
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