Tippitoes finds feet in Portugal

The privately-owned business will supply its moses basket and stand in a flagship department store in Lisbon and a successful run could lead to permanent listings in the company's 70-strong network of department stores across Portugal and Spain.

Paul Walters, general manager at Tippitoes, said: "The trial is for a limited line and number of units at this stage, but we're very excited to have secured a potential 'in' with one of the biggest names in retail in that region.

"It could be huge in terms of where we go from here so we're clearly out to impress and make an impact. It's gone extremely well so far on that front in terms of securing the Lisbon opportunity in the first place, but now it's down to the product itself to do the talking.

"And we're confident it will deliver based on the retail success we've enjoyed to date here in the UK and in other markets across Europe and the Far East."

He said the El Corte Ingles trial stemmed from a visit to Portugal organised by UK Trade and Investment, which included networking events and one-to-one meetings.

Mr Walters added: "The Lisbon deal expands our global reach into ten overseas markets, but there are hundreds more to go at and we're determined to explore them through UKTI. Continental Europe is our primary focus for the time being, but our product range has universal appeal so we'll go as far and wide as we possibly can."

UKTI is planning business trips to India, France and Mexico.