We are thrilled that Rob's website silvertrophy.com is proving such a hit.
The canny businessman spotted a gilt-edged way of turning silver trophies into a fantastic on-line selling opportunity and has seen his company go from strength to strength.
Silvertrophy.com started out with a turnover of £20,000 in 2002 – which has increased to half a million pounds in just five years.
The site sells awards made exclusively by Walsall-based silverware company, Swatkins, a 109-year-old family firm providing a huge range of awards, from small shields and plaques to trophies for prestigious sporting events around the world.
Silvertrophy.com was set up by Burslem businessman, Robert Pearson, who had been photographing Swatkins silverware for trade brochures for a number of years.
Mr Pearson used his design and photography skills to launch the new website, selling directly to the public, and found he had a huge hit on his hands.
All Swatkins awards are hand-made, using traditional skills, as one of just a tiny number of firms still providing hand-chased trophies, which is an extremely specialised form of hand decoration.
The demand for such unique craftsmanship, boosted by the extra sales generated through the new website, has led the Walsall company to employ Melvin Hughes, one of the last hand-chasers left in the country.
The 59-year-old had worked on a freelance basis for the company for a number of years, but was persuaded to take on a permanent role with them to help keep up with the demand for his skills, as well as pass them on to the next generation by training others.
Paul Swatkins, managing director of Swatkins, said he is delighted that new technology and traditional skills have been able to work together so well.
“There are just a handful of craftsmen with the skills Mel has, and we set up a whole new department for him to work in, we rate his work and his skills so highly.
“He is now hoping to train someone else too, which would help keep his skills alive.
“Silvertrophy.com is now our biggest customer, and their work with us certainly played a part in our decision to take Mel on. It is a classic example of each company benefiting from doing what they do best, proving a success for Silvertrophy.com and for Swatkins,” he said.
In a bid to build on the success, Mr Pearson is now preparing to invest in a bigger and better website for Silvertrophy.com.
“Our website stands out from others in the market because of two main things - the quality of the products Swatkins produce, and the quality of the photographs and graphics on the site,” he said.
“We broke new ground with the ordering system we introduced on our website, which allowed people to tell us exactly where and how they wanted their trophies engraved.
“We have not really changed much on it in the last five years, so decided now is the time to make the website even bigger and better.
“Hopefully, this will mean continued success both for Silvertrophy.com and for Swatkins, as the fact that we have been able to use technology to help keep such unique traditions alive is something to be really proud about.” [Helen]
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