About the business
Shires Equestrian in Herefordshire is a British company with a global reputation.
Founded by Malcolm Ainge in 1968, Shires makes a wide range of horse related products for riding, wearing, grooming and health.
The company employs 80 people at its base in Southern Avenue, Leominster.
How Herefordshire Growth Hub helped
Thanks to help and support from the Herefordshire Growth Hub, Malcolm received a £24,999 Research Development & Innovation Fund (RD&I) grant via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the maximum award available.
The contribution equated to 62 per cent of the company’s costs to attend an annual trade fair in Cologne, Germany.
SPOGA is one of the top international equestrian trade shows and attracts retailers from Europe and Asia.
This year, thanks to the grant, Malcolm was able to take a larger stand which elevated the company’s status as a leading national and international supplier of equestrian equipment to customers and potential customers.
He was able to promote Shires’ attendance at the show via direct marketing invitations to retailers in their own language, e-mail shots, distribution of the 2025 catalogue and telephone calls to existing European customers. The funds also supported promotional activity around special offers only available to visitors to the show.
Malcolm said he found the Grant application form very easy to complete, and everyone at the Growth Hub was very professional.
“It’s good to know that the Herefordshire Growth Hub is there with advice and funding, helping small and large companies deal with all the problems that are thrown at businesses today,” he said.
Impact
Malcolm said: “Thanks to the grant from the Herefordshire Growth Fund we were able to take a bigger and better stand than in previous years, which enabled us to elevate how we promote our goods and services.
“That meant we presented a better impression of our business – and of the UK as a supplier of equestrian equipment – to customers and potential customers.
“We currently employ 80 people, and in order to secure those jobs for the future we need a constant flow of orders from the UK and overseas. If we don’t get the orders in, we can’t employ those 80 people, let alone grow the business and expand the workforce.”
Malcolm said that on the back of the grant funding he hoped to employ a further three people in the business.
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