phil&teds® breaks into a new international market

A full range of New Zealand baby gear is now available in Thailand, after the award-winning brands, phil&teds and Mountain Buggy, successfully entered the market.

The company’s chief cook and bottle washer, Campbell Gower, says that while both brands were known to locals, Thailand remained an untapped market for the business - until now.

“This is the first time our products will be available to purchase in Thailand. We’ve experienced strong returns in other Southeast Asian countries which, of course, we hope to replicate.”

As of September, the business has seen a 160% year-on-year increase in sales revenue for one market, compared to the same period last year.

He says total sales for that market are expected to grow this year - achieving, what would be, a record breaking year for Singapore, as well as contributing to a forecasted full year increase of 195%.

When the company first entered the Singaporean market in 2009, only a limited number of products were available, across one brand.

“Eight years on, and nearly full product ranges for both phil&teds and Mountain Buggy are sold in multiple Singapore stores. It’s very cool,” he says. “Our goal now is to leverage this position and grow in Southeast Asia, not just in sales but through further understanding the market trends and how we can adapt to and influence where needed.”

The company is currently in Germany to showcase its products alongside the world’s leading baby trade fair, Kind & Jugend.

The Cologne-based event which runs from 14 - 17 September, attracted over 22,000 visitors from 112 countries in 2016.

“The show provides a premium platform for introducing our customers to existing, and new, innovative products - including Mountain Buggy’s rotating car seat, a highly anticipated nano duo travel buggy, and holographic Year of the Dog print, and - building on several product releases this year - phil&teds will launch a new single buggy that reinvents the umbrella stroller.”

Mountain Buggy will highlight how its creative direction is lead by its very own customers, who feature as the faces of the brand’s campaigns, and phil&teds will create a live ‘parenting day’ installation.

Gower says “guests always enjoy our show, where they can meet in a relaxed, very Kiwi way. This year, they’ll meet within our parenting day living room where they can park up on the couch next to a traveller portacot, sit on a poppy highchair at a children’s art table, or pull up a stool beside portable highchair, lobster, at the kitchen table - just like you would, with kids, at home.”

Last year, the company secured orders in excess of NZD $1 million during the three day event. Gower hopes the trade show will build on that as well as open new doors for the company, in the ever changing retail environment.

“While a focus is certainly on relationship management, we’ll be working hard to place orders on all products.”

In a first for the business, both phil&teds and Mountain Buggy brands will feature at the mothercare Baby Expo 2017 in Hong Kong this November - supporting its emerging markets sales with phil&teds’ heads from both Wellington and China offices in attendance. The four day show will round out the company’s international trade show schedule.