Galway electric stairs company bucks Brexit to grow in UK market

A Galway man who has cornered the market with his inventive electric attic stairs is to reveal how he has managed to buck Brexit and grow his company on the lucrative UK market.

Peter Morrow always had a dream to start his own business was able to make this dream come true after he took redundancy in 2011.

So with his two business partners, he founded Loftease Attic Stairs Ltd, working from a shed in North Galway, as they fine-tuned the design of their Skylark Electric Attic Stairs for two years, before releasing it into the UK and Irish markets.

The Skylark fully electric attic stairs – manufactured at their base in Killaloonty outside Tuam – means there is no more heavy lifting or trying to reach over your head to pull down a rickety old ladder, with no manual effort needed, works with ease by remote control.

And despite the economic uncertainty on the back of Britain’s vote to pull out of the EU, Peter and his company have continued to thrive through reinvention – a story he will recount at a public event as part of Local Enterprise Week.

When Brexit was announced in 2016, Loftease had 18 agents in the UK, working in a market which comprised 90% of sales.

From September 2015 until June 2016, sales were steadily increasing every month, – and then the door closed, as 80% of the sales stopped and everything slowed down.

“We had to look elsewhere; we could not wait for the UK market to pick up. We had bills to pay, so we turned to the US, as our US patent for the Skylark Electric Attic Stairs had been granted in August 2016,” said Peter.

“Now eight months on from Brexit we are happy to report that our product has been launched in the US, through a large US based company and sales in the UK are back to where they were in February 2016,” he added.

Part of the tie-in to Local Enterprise Week is the fact that Loftease has received financial supports from the Galway Local Enterprise Office to set up the business,  as well as LEO support for export trips – and Skylark also took part on the Lean Launch management development programme.

Local Enterprise Week runs from March 5 to 10, with Peter’s insight into adapting for survival is one of the highlights of an event entitled ‘’How will BREXIT affect your business and our Region’ in the McWilliam Park Hotel, Claremorris on Friday week, March 10.

The LEO has also announced a series of exciting initiatives aimed at stimulating business activity throughout Galway city and county and assisting those who are currently planning to export or are already exporting to the UK.

The ultimate aim being to create jobs among small businesses and also to encourage those with a business idea to pursue their dream.

Other key events during LEW include an Introduction to Tendering with Intertrade Ireland, which takes place in the Clayton Hotel next Wednesday, March 8, from 9am to 1pm; and Social Media for Business, taking place in Letterfrack next Monday, March 6, from 10am to 12pm.

For the full calendar of events, more information or to book an event please check out: www.localenterprise.ie/galway or (091) 50 90 90.