4Leaves products hit the shelves following xénos angel
investment
2nd August 2010
Serial DIY
and retail inventor, Peter Manning, has seen his patented Wellitop®
clip-on boot cover reach the shelves of garden centres, DIY and
department stores around the country, thanks to backing from a
xénos angel investor.
The £100,000 investment has enabled Manning‟s newly-formed
company, 4Leaves, to bring the unique Wellington boot cover to
market under his own brand with global orders expected soon
following trials in the United States, New Zealand and
Australia.
It will also allow the company to bring two other
environmentally-conscious and shelf-space saving products to market
soon – the AquaStyle® flat-pack waterbutt and RainCan™ nesting
watering can. Both are likely to be manufactured in Wales.
The Wellitop® clips onto a pair of wellington boots and makes
them easier to carry, keeps out the rain as well as deterring small
pests and spiders. It also keeps them upright when they are
stored.
The fully-collapsible Aquastyle® flat-pack waterbutt and
RainCan™ nesting watering can can be used around the garden or
allotment to collect and store rain or grey water. These are easy
to stack, transport and assemble; significantly reducing retailers‟
distribution costs.
"I‟m passionate about my inventions, having invented a number of
products for the DIY and retail markets over the years," explains
Manning. "The idea for slimmed-down, easy-to-assembly products for
the DIY and gardening sectors was something I‟d been working on for
some time, but I wanted to get these products to market under my
own brand rather than via a licensing agreement.
"Last November I needed to find an investor quickly, so I
approached xénos, the Wales Business Angel network and almost
immediately, angel investor, Richard Tyzack, showed an
interest."
Tyzack, an experienced businessman and former retail supplier
was looking for the right investment and was instantly attracted to
the 4Leaves opportunity.
"I‟d previously looked at some technology-related opportunities,
but I didn‟t know enough about them so decided to wait until the
right opportunity presented itself," Tyzack explained. "I could see
potential in Peter‟s prototypes and this was an investment in
something that I could „touch and feel‟, making this more
attractive."
Friend and garden centre owner, Martin Davies, also invested
£50,000 alongside Tyzack and 4Leaves was formed under the
Enterprise Investment Scheme.
"We‟ve successfully manufactured the Wellitop® clip on boot
covers and orders are being distributed globally to meet the
seasonal demand. We are also in the process of looking at the best
way to take our other products to market," Tyzack added.
"4Leaves is an excellent example of what xénos is all about,"
explains xénos Network Manager, David Maas. "xénos can quickly
match investors and opportunities because it really understands
business angels‟ investment preferences."
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