Childrenâs bicycle manufacturer Frog Bikes has opened a new factory in Pontypool, South Wales, thanks to a £1.7 million funding investment.
Frog Bikes has opened the new 120,000 sq ft facility at Mamhilad Park Estate for its first factory in the UK, with the aim of creating 50 jobs over the next five year period.
Included in the companyâs product range are its Team Sky range of bikes and a Union Jack design supported by Joanna Rowsell-Shand, a multiple Olympic gold medallist.
Frog Bikes co-founder, Jerry Lawson, said that the company is pleased to be celebrating the opening of the new factory which will enable them to create jobs to benefit the local economy, reduce their environmental footprint, introduce innovations faster, have more control over quality and be more responsive to the market.
Lawson continued: “There were times during 2015 when we couldn’t keep up with demand, and customers were left disappointed. We recognised that the time had come to re-shore our production model.”
Head of global trade and receivable finance for HSBC UK, Mark Emmerson, said that Frog Bikes is a great example of an entrepreneurial company that has evolved to meet the changing needs of its customers, while looking for ways of supporting the local economy.
Emmerson added: “It’s fantastic to now see the project reach completion and we have no doubt that the new facility will support the company’s continued growth.”
Lawson started the company with his wife Shelley three years ago and hopes that the relocation to the UK will enable them to keep up with demand.
He said: What we have found since we started is we are bad at forecasting and end up out of stock, he says, standing outside the new plant on a sprawling industrial estate set among gently rolling hills.
The couple are both from a corporate background and came up with the idea of the firm when teaching their children to ride a bike.
