Ecoegg [1] stayed afloat during lockdown by adapting its e-commerce business plan and increasing online sales by 50% in May, after UK retail sales fell by two-thirds at the start of the Coronavirus pandemic.
The BPA-free, recyclable ecoegg Laundry Egg case is refilled with skin-friendly mineral pellets, which replace traditional laundry detergent and fabric conditioner.
With the eggs assembled in Kent and guaranteed to last for up to ten years, the company received the Good Housekeeping Institute 'Getting Greener' accreditation in March for efforts in reducing single-use plastic.
Founded in 2008, Ecoegg has sold over two million Laundry Eggs worldwide and exports to 50 countries. Following financial and logistical advice from the Department for International Trade, it has expanded into over 1,000 locations in the US and has ambitions to increase that to 10,000.
Ecoegg Sales Director, Simon Weavers said:
"In 2018 our offices were decimated by a fire; we lost £1 million worth of stock and nearly went under, but we persevered and relaunched the brand in UK retail stores including Waitrose and online at ecoegg.com.
"Then the Coronavirus hit; but our online sales were key in generating revenue during lockdown and we had to adapt our website further to meet international demand.
"Exporting accounts for half of our business and continued support from the Department for International Trade helped us break into US retail stores, including their websites."
Ecoegg is in the process of negotiating additional contracts with large North American retailers where revenue for 2020 is predicted to be £600,000.
In June 2020, the amount of money spent online in Britain rose by 61.9%, resulting in an average weekly increase of £943.5 million compared with February 2020, with retailers saying lockdown encouraged them to diversify and sell more online.
Minister for Exports, Graham Stuart said:
"The UK is committed to growing a sustainable economy as we recover from the Coronavirus pandemic and it is great to see UK businesses like Ecoegg, exporting eco-friendly products internationally.
"The US is our largest trading partner and we will continue to champion free trade because we know that a UK-US FTA will make transatlantic trade much easier for UK exporters."
The US is the top goods export market for the South East and government analysis shows that the South East's economy is expected to grow by up to £622 million because of a future UK-US free trade agreement.