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Welsh inventors win top three awards
Ermila Smith from Cardiff, whose beauty and bath products business ‘Winter in Venice’ turned over £1million in its first year, won the Best Product Design and Packaging Award and the Women in Product Development Award.
Sian Books from Cardiff won Best Business Idea for her company PS Inventions which began with one just one line - Skiweb - a clever device invented for carrying skis and poles.
Ieuan Wyn Jones, Minister for the Economy and Transport, congratulated the winners on their success.
“These innovative and clever ideas have created new successful businesses and jobs and I am delighted that Wales has done so well in this competition. Nine out of the forty finalists were from Wales and three of the top awards were won by them.
"The Wales Innovators Network plays an important role providing the help, support and expert advice that is helping turn some clever ideas into commercial products.”
Both women started their businesses from scratch and now sell their goods through distributors and online worldwide.
Winter in Venice is now sold in more than 800 stores nationwide including independent retailers, department stores and on line leaders like Amazon who last year gave her an order worth more than $1m.
What differentiates Winter in Venice from other products on the market is the artistic and eye catching presentation of the products. Rather than simply packaging the toiletries in a traditional acetate box with a ribbon Ermila - or Mel as she’s known - uses a range of different lifestyle related accessories to gift wrap her products. They may be packaged in wooden pails, plant pots, fabric hat boxes or vanity boxes - which can all be re-used.
Sian’s business began with just one product - Skiweb - a lightweight webbing strap that wraps skis and poles into one unit and provides a shoulder strap for easy carriage.
New lines were soon introduced including Skiweb for children and Boardweb Snowboard Carrier and by September this year Sian’s online store will stock more than 500 lines, many with the Skiweb trademark. To date more than 40,000 Skiwebs have been sold.
Sian, a member of the Welsh Innovators Network, said her business, which employs three people part time, moved into the US market last year and sells via the web as well as to trade customers.
"I know the business has grown quickly but to have recognition for my efforts from the BFIIN proves to me that Skiweb is just the beginning of a much larger company. By September we will stock over 500 product lines and hope to open a new local warehouse next spring bringing new job opportunities to South Wales"
Mel, who manages her own distribution in the UK, is setting up third party distribution networks throughout Europe and the US and also working on a number of licensing agreements to launch a Mother and Baby Range and a Gardening Range.
She said she was delighted and pleasantly surprised to have won the awards:
"I was completely taken by surprise when they called my name and didn’t expect it at all and was grateful to have been nominated.”
Bold Beanies - the head turning creations from Wrexham based Emilienne Rebel were voted the second best design product at the event by all the guests at the awards dinner. The Beanie hats come in a range of colours and patterns and were originally designed for people suffering from hair loss - but are equally popular in the leisure market.
The British Female Innovator or Inventor of the Year was held in Cardiff and supported by the Wales Innovators Network. This is the second year that the Assembly Government has hosted the event and this year the Sponsorship of the event was part financed by the European Union’s Convergence European Regional Development Fund through the Business Innovation Project which offers an integrated package of support to lone inventors and businesses at different stages of the innovation process.
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