Staffordshire Consumer Goods Giant Expands Operations with HSBC UK Funding

A family-owned consumer goods company based in Stoke-on-Trent has expanded its workforce and operations with funding from HSBC UK. 

RKW, the trading division of Sutton Venture Group, established in 1989, employs over 500 staff through its offices in the UK, Hong Kong, India and China. The company designs, manufactures and distributes small domestic appliances and housewares for leading brands which include Black and Decker, Lavazza, Morphy Richards, Tower, Smeg, Swan, Russell Hobbs and Breville. From its distribution centre based in Staffordshire, products are sold to leading UK retailers with International customers being supplied directly from its China offices.

An eight-figure funding package from HSBC UK will be used to help facilitate RKW’s international growth strategy and further grow market share throughout the UK, having previously increased its direct delivery capabilities for retailers during the pandemic by offering a wider range of products and increased stock.

The deal with HSBC UK will bolster staff with a further 80 employees and transform the operations of its 1,000,000 sq ft. warehouse into a 24/7 working site.

Rob Sutton Chairman at Sutton Venture Group, said: “I would like to thank HSBC UK for the continued support they have provided. This funding has allowed us to evolve to changing customer needs during the pandemic. In addition to creating 80 new jobs and developing our new 24/7 warehouse facility in Stone, we’ve seen our roadmap of innovation and new product development accelerate as we’ve adapted new business solutions. Further investments and entering new, exciting product sectors are what’s next on the horizon. We have a talented team at the heart of the business and I would like to thank them for the exceptional job that has been done navigating the challenges of the Covid crisis while positioning the business for long term growth and value creation.”

Josh Garrigan, Relationship Director at HSBC UK, said: “Despite the volatility of the business landscape over the last 20 months, Sutton Venture Group has seen huge growth. Having rapidly adapted to major shifts in the retail sphere from both a consumer and supplier perspective, we’re delighted to have supported the expansion of operations and workforce at the business.”

Sutton Venture Group is privately-owned and has a portfolio of trading companies specialising in online retailing, property, warehouse, sales and logistics operations, with offices in Stoke-on-Trent, Hong Kong, India and mainland China. The Group’s trading division RKW is Europe’s leading electrical and housewares supplier and distributes products through some of the UK's largest retailers including Next, Amazon, Tesco, Currys and Argos.

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Editors notes

About RKW

RKW has a 30-plus year pedigree in successfully developing and distributing top brands and products with a group turnover of £100m+. It is Europe's leading manufacturer and distributor of small domestic appliances (SDA) and housewares products for its owned and licensed portfolio of brands. As well as Tower, Black + Decker, Morphy Richards, Akai and Carmen and RKW distributes for leading brands including Breville, Russell Hobbs, Swan, Hoover and new partnerships with SMEG, Lavazza and The Funky Appliance Company. In 2020, RKW acquired the award-winning online retail brand Andrew James.

About HSBC UK

HSBC UK serves around 15 million customers across the UK, supported by 25,500 colleagues. HSBC UK offers a complete range of retail banking and wealth management to personal and private banking customers, as well as commercial banking for small to medium businesses and large corporates.

About HSBC Holdings plc 

HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of HSBC, is headquartered in London. HSBC serves customers worldwide from offices in 64 countries and territories in its geographical regions: Europe, Asia, North America, Latin America, and Middle East and North Africa. With assets of US$2,976bn at 30 June 2021, HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations.