New deal for HTI for the international game

The company, founded in 1952, is the UK’s largest independently owned designer and manufacturer of children’s toys. They have with an international customer base of major retailers and a portfolio of hit brands from TV and film including characters such as Peppa Pig and Hello Kitty. HTI also have well-established own brands including vehicle range Teamsterz and role-play ranges Smart and Cosy Cottage.

Sales grow by 9% to £72m in the year to March 31 2011 while overseas sales increased to 25% of total sales following new deals with Babycentre in the Middle East, Wal-mart in North America and a worldwide deal with French supermarket chain Carrefour. The company now sells to 70 countries worldwide.

Mark Walls, UK managing director, said, “Our UK business provides us with a hugely solid foundation across a growing customer base which include many long term strategic partnerships. Our global footprint has also grown in recent years following a succession of new deals and strategic expansion into key markets and regions. We’ve invested heavily to get the right strategy, infrastructure, product breadth and team in place and we’re determined that the next five years will be a defining chapter in HTI’s history.”

The deal was arranged by Jane Khaliq, retail and wholesale relationship director at Barclays corporate in Manchester. She said: “HTI is a genuinely global business who have their sights firmly set on further international expansion. Our long standing relationship with HTI and our ability to provide our clients with an end-to-end working capital solution ensured we were best placed to support them with their growth ambitions.”