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Guernsey-based watch brand, Slappie, has made the top 10 Watchmakers to Watch list published by industry magazine, WatchPro.
The slap watch brand, which won investment on Dragon’s Den in 2016 and is headquartered in St Peter Port, is one of nine to be highly commended behind winner, Gaga Milano.
‘It’s fantastic to be recognised like this by the industry’s leading and most influential magazine. We are sitting alongside watch brands with price tags in the thousands,’ said Scott Carre, who bought the company in June this year.
‘The last few months have seen fantastic growth for us, with a great start selling on board Virgin Atlantic aircraft, TV exposure on the QVC shopping channel and, most recently, a very successful launch on Amazon US.
‘It’s an exciting time for Slappie and 2018 promises to be even better.’
During its first three weeks on Virgin Atlantic aircraft, Slappie sold more watches than it did during the previous three months on its own website.
Slappie has also secured deals to sell its fashion watch online with House of Fraser.
‘Retailers have been impressed by the quality and design of the product, and many have said that the slap feature, which takes the hassle out of doing up a buckle or catch, appeal to their target markets,’ added Mr Carre.
In its review of Slappie, WatchPro said that it had been keeping an eye on the brand since it received £50,000 investment from the Moonpig.com founder Nick Jenkins in 2016.
‘[The brand] has continued to grow, particularly in channels like airlines, online and in department stores,’ said the magazine, which added that the brand’s success was due in part to the watches’ ‘combination of rubbery fashion and bold colours that appeal to children and adults’.
