The UK’s leading non-slip decking company, based at Higher Bugle near St Austell, has been recognised as a successful exporter dedicated to helping British businesses sell their goods internationally. Gripsure produces anti-slip decking for homeowners and commercial customers in the UK and across the world from its base in Cornwall and employs 18 staff. The company, established in 2004 by managing director Mike Nicholson, is now one of the best-known decking brands in Europe.

It has a wholly-owned French company and a manufacturing partner in Japan and is planning to establish its non-slip decking brand in 12 more countries. Gripsure’s team regularly attends trade shows all over the world and is looking at further expansion with its products being manufactured and sold in North America, Australia, and Japan. Gripsure produces 250,000 linear metres of hand-crafted decking boards in Cornwall every year and is now recognised as a worldwide business and global brand.

Export Champions are an appointed community of business leaders that work in partnership with DIT to inspire and encourage more UK businesses to sell their goods and services to the world. The community is currently formed of over 400 business leaders across England, 30 of which are based in the South West. As volunteers, Export Champions often speak at or host export events, drawing on their expertise and sharing insight on their international sales experience to boost export capability.

Gripsure Managing Director, Mike Nicholson said: “Being made an ‘Export Champion’ by the Department for International Trade is a real honour and this achievement is testament to all the hard work put in by the whole team to make Gripsure the successful business that it is today. We are delighted to be part of this prestigious group of ‘Export Champions’ and to be able to offer advice, share connections and mentor others. We have benefitted greatly from the help of the DIT and expand into territories that might never have imagined when we were starting Gripsure eighteen years ago. We are now investing heavily in developing our product innovation and growing in new international markets.

“We are dedicated to helping other companies explore the opportunities that international exporting provides and assist them to open up in new markets around the world. We want to share our experience and knowledge with others and show how we turned our exporting ambitions into reality.”

DIT is the UK government department responsible for championing open and fair global trading that drives growth, creates better jobs and higher wages, and improves living standards in this country and around the world.

Paul Shand, DIT’s Head of Trade in the South West, said: “As influential voices in the business community, DIT Export Champions play a pivotal role in encouraging and inspiring more UK businesses to sell overseas. By sharing their experience and expertise, the network helps other businesses realise there is a global demand for their products or services and that whilst there might be some challenges ahead, there is help and support available.

“Businesses find it truly inspirational to hear from successful exporters like Gripsure – their insight and practical advice help businesses make the most of their potential to sell world class goods and services internationally.”

Gripsure will be exhibiting at a leading trade show Carrefour International du Bois in France in June and at the American Institute of Architects conference in Chicago later the same month.

With a fast-growing consumer market, Gripsure has supplied decking to high-profile customers, including Center Parcs, Edinburgh Zoo, the National Trust, and Kew Gardens. The company was recently awarded two internationally recognised ISO accreditations for quality management and environmental management systems. It also holds a number of certifications and memberships for its exceeding excellence in leading industry standards.

For information on how DIT can support your business to grow in new markets, visit www.great.gov.uk

The company, which manufactures anti-slip decking for homeowners and commercial customers in the UK and across the world, aims to create new habitats in Cornwall and re-establish woodland areas with the help of the not-for-profit community interest group, based in Helston. Gripsure is committed to planting one tree for every order that is placed with the company.

Cornwall has low levels of tree cover and one of the worst records in Europe, compared to other countries. The UK has an average of 13 percent of tree cover and Cornwall has only 9 percent, due to harsh weather conditions and historically high demand for wood in mining and shipping activities.

Rai Lewis, co-founder and managing director for Plant One Cornwall said: “Having the support of Gripsure is vitally important to the work that we do, it’s absolutely everything. If we didn’t have the backing of companies like Gripsure there is no way that we could plant more than 6,000 trees across Cornwall each year. The UK is in the bottom 12 of biodiverse wild spaces, so we really need to ‘up our game’, especially as we only sit above the most industrialised countries in Europe, such as Monaco. We plant trees because they have so many environmental benefits, we are trying to be a force of good.

“Because Cornwall has such a tough climate, it’s more difficult for trees to establish themselves. Many people don’t realise that the county is meant to be covered in trees – we should have a temperate rainforest or upland oakwood habitat and that is what, together with Gripsure, we are trying hard to reinstate across Cornwall.”

Gripsure has a long-standing commitment to environmental sustainability across all its business operations and was recently awarded ISO 9001 for quality management systems and ISO 14001 for environmental management.

Gripsure Managing Director, Mike Nicholson said: “This is not a token gesture or us jumping on the environmental bandwagon, we’re not just paying lip service – we are doing this for all the right reasons. We want to reduce our overall carbon emissions and we’re committed to striving towards the business becoming net zero carbon. We are continually looking at new and different ways to minimise our environmental impact across our activities, from working with sustainable FSC and PEFC certified timber to reducing waste. We aim to provide high-quality, environmentally sustainable products, and customer service.

“With the help of Plant One Cornwall, we can get more trees in Cornish soil and work towards increasing the UK’s canopy cover. We are passionate about supporting and helping to create local habitats and nurture native wildlife. We are absolutely delighted to be involved with the positive work that they are doing and look forward to joining the team on their tree planting days later this year.”

Gripsure and Plant One Cornwall are currently assessing several tree-planting sites in the county with the aim of getting new trees in the ground during the planting season between November this year and March 2023, dependent on weather conditions. The native trees, which will include Cornish and English Oak, Italian and Black Alder, as well as Wild Cherry and Willow, will be planted at a low density, mimicking already existing habitats enabling wildlife to thrive. These saplings or ‘whips’ have a higher resilience to climate change and absorb Co2 at a faster rate in the early stages of their growth.

Rai Lewis added: “We will really start to reap the benefits of these woodland areas in a short space of time. People will be able to walk under the boughs within ten years. The biggest and most immediate impact the trees are going to have is the valued resources they hold for wildlife. For example, an oak tree hosts 1,200 species of insects and birds for food and shelter and some flowering or pollinating trees will have an impact from two years of age.”

Gripsure manufactures non-slip timber decking from its base in Cornwall and sells it to homeowners and commercial customers across the UK and internationally. Now one of the best-known decking brands in Europe, Gripsure has a French company and a manufacturing partner in Japan and is planning to establish its non-slip decking brand in 12 more countries. With a fast-growing consumer market, Gripsure has also supplied decking to high-profile customers, including Center Parcs, Edinburgh Zoo, the National Trust and Kew Gardens.