Exclusive: Lindam aims to go global in child safety

Lindam, the 24m turnover business which was snapped up by Los Angeles giant Munchkin at the start of the year, wants to grow its presence in the lucrative Middle Eastern market as cultural changes mean parents spend more on protecting their child in the home.

Mark Rycroft, managing director of Harrogate-based Lindam, said the two firms want to launch 40 products next year. Speaking in depth about the takeover for the first time, he told the Yorkshire Post they wanted to grow their presence in Europe and the Middle East, particularly in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Israel.

"In this day people are looking for opportunities. We are working with a number of retailers and a number of distributors. Places like Dubai are very dynamic and offer a more cost-effective and flexible route to market.

"We are looking for significant growth year-on-year to assist with the organisation's growth goals."

Lindam, which has 40 staff, was a family-owned firm built up by Christopher Rycroft and his family. Mark Rycroft, now 41, joined the business when he was 23 after a spell working in sales and marketing at a toy company, and has helped it become the market leader. Its child safety gate is the best-selling product by value and by volume in the UK industry, he said.

The firm currently has more than 150 product lines and exports to France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Italy and countries in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe. It distributes to some Middle Eastern and Africa nations but wants to develop this.

In Britain its stockists include Mothercare, Argos, Littlewoods, Tesco and Leeds-based Asda.

It has launched 20 products since the deal with Munchkin, which completed in January. Mr Rycroft said it was the American firm's desire for fast growth that made it stand out among the four companies interested in Lindam.

"Munchkin was seen as the ideal partner. Munchkin is a very aggressive organisation in terms of product development and growth, which matched Lindam's ambitions.

"In 2009 we were in recession and we had 30 or 40 per cent growth.

"Munchkin was the best fit for the business. Its philosophy is similar to Lindam and there is a synergy."

Mr Rycroft attributed Lindam's strong growth since the 1990s to producing goods which meet a strong consumer need, making its supply chain leaner, improving efficiency and allowing retailers to turn its products into mass market items, as well as the work of his family.

"We work very well with the retailers. We have done a lot of above and below the line promotional activity but the main area has been offering the consumer what they wanted.

"The birth-rate has grown. The ways the product has been marketed and promoted have changed and probably our purchasing – the way people purchase in multiples rather than single buys. The customer awareness of the need for the product has been heightened."

Munchkin, which had been looking to establish a base in the UK before the Lindam deal, has a major presence in infant bath, care, travel and feeding products as well as upmarket pet products through its pet division, Bamboo. The privately-owned firm was set up in 1991 and has about 130 staff. Its sells in more than 25,000 retail outlets around the world.

Last year its founder chief executive Steven Dunn was named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year in the retail and consumer products category for the Greater Los Angeles area.

Made from family names

Lindam was set up in 1988 and takes its name from joining the names of Lindsay and Adam, who were past names in the family of founder Christopher Rycroft.

Mr Rycroft sold the business for an undisclosed sum, understood to be in the region of 18m, giving him time to concentrate on other business interests. His son, Mark Rycroft, managing director, said: "There were a number of parties interested at the end of last year and the deal happened very quickly.

"My father was ready to do other things.

"He felt it was the right thing to do for him and the future of the business."