As the golfing world looks to the US Open in New York state on Thursday, it’s not only Britain’s golfers that are crossing the pond.
Gloucestershire’s Stewart Golf has seen US sales soar to reach $2 million in the first half of 2020, four times higher than the same period in 2019.
Social distancing has meant many golfers in the US have been unable to use shared golf carts or rental trolleys, but Stewart Golf’s electric trolleys enable players to take to the course safely and without the need to shoulder the weight of a golf bag.
To meet demand, the company has grown its staff count from 14 to 23 since the Coronavirus lockdown, bolstering its Cotswolds factory where all trolleys are built by hand.
Stewart Golf CEO Mark Stewart said:
The US has been an important market for our business in recent years, but the last 6 months have laid bare the importance of exports to our company’s growth and resilience.
Sales to the US have enabled us to continue expanding and we already have plans to increase our production space even further over the year ahead.
Since establishing a base in Gloucester over a decade ago, Stewart Golf has been exporting its golf trolleys to more than 40 countries around the world.
In 2019 it became a net exporter for the first time with 60% of sales coming from outside the UK. As of June 2020 that figure stood at 78%, with 60% of total output going to the US.
Minister for Exports Graham Stuart MP commented:
Stewart Golf’s success is a fantastic example of British innovation in the sports sector and it is great to see their increased trade creating further employment.
UK expertise and craftsmanship is in high demand in the US and elsewhere. This, combined with a future trade agreement, should encourage fellow businesses to look to the US market for export opportunities.
The fourth round of trade negotiations between the UK and US is continuing this week, with the aim of agreeing a deal that benefit British companies like Stewart Golf by easing trade restrictions for small businesses.
Government analysis shows a free trade agreement between the nations will provide a £3.4 billion boost to the UK economy, as the trade deal will increase transatlantic trade flows by £15.3 billion.
