Harrods chooses NZ maternity wear company

Leading United Kingdom (UK) maternity brand 9 is stocking EGG Maternity products on its concession at Harrods.

This includes the company’s body care range, its preggy pops - a natural remedy to ease morning sickness - and clothing from its ‘Charlotte Devereux for EGG’ range, which features elegant evening wear made from silk, satin and luxury alpaca wool.

9 is owned by London socialite Emily Evans and sells internationally sought after brands like Rock and Republic, Citizens of Humanity and True Religion. 9 garments have adorned such famous bumps as Gwen Stefani and Kate Moss and regularly feature in UK Vogue.

Business Director Colyn Devereux-Kay says the order came after an initial meeting between EGG Maternity designer Charlotte Devereux and Emily Evans a year ago.

“We have always had an eye on the UK market and been diligent about nurturing our relationships there. It’s a huge bonus for us to make our entry via Harrods and we are now looking at other options in the market for our full clothing range.”

EGG Maternity was founded in 2000 by Charlotte Devereux, who started designing her own maternity clothes when she couldn’t find what she wanted in stores around Auckland. She was joined by her mother, Colyn, and together they have grown the EGG brand to a company with annual turnover of more than $5 million.

EGG manufactures a full maternity range for pregnant women from body care products, to underwear, sleepwear, office clothing and leisure wear. Around two-thirds of the company’s products are made in New Zealand and the rest in China.

Exports account for around 55 per cent of revenue with Australia EGG’s largest export market, followed by Singapore, Malaysia and now the UK.

EGG uses a franchise model and also has collapsible egg-shaped pods, which are used to display its clothing and highlight its brand in department stories.

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) helped EGG’s entry into the UK market, providing funding to explore the market opportunity and connecting the company to established exporters in complementary fields.

Export and Marketing Manager Tamara Croft says being in Harrods with a high profile brand like 9 gives the company a strong start in the UK market. Its next goal is to be stocked in other 9 boutiques.

Ms Croft says while the UK maternity wear market is very competitive sales have also been growing by an annual average of 8 percent since 2005.

EGG is eyeing the wider European market and will join an NZTE Mum Baby Child initiative, which plans to bring New Zealand exporters of high quality mother and child products together for a collaborative drive into the EU.

South East Asia is EGG Maternity’s other key target market and the company is part of NZTE’s South East Asia Beachheads programme for high growth companies.

“The opportunities there are big – it’s an accessible and wealthy market and there are a lot of New Zealanders living in the region,” says Ms Croft.

EGG puts a high priority on increasing its brand recognition, investing in top photography and website design to support its marketing strategies in Asia. In addition, it captures attention with innovative ideas such as the Pregnant Model Search it has run in New Zealand, Australia and Singapore.

More information:

www.eggmaternity.com