Making Le Mark on Israel

UKTI's Export Marketing Research Scheme helps adhesive tape company, Le Mark, break into Israeli market.

Le Mark Group manufactures specialist self-adhesive tapes, as well as performance flooring, gloves and accessories. It is an experienced exporter, with overseas sales accounting for 38% of its business.

During an international trade show in Germany, Le Mark was approached by several Israeli companies and received an expression of interest from representatives of the Israeli army and air force relating to its premium Kraken Tape® brand. Managing Director, Stuart Gibbons was keen to follow up these enquiries. He says:

“I sought advice from our UKTI trade adviser, David Earp who recommended a market research visit to Tel Aviv, where I would get to meet businesses and liaise with Yigal Levine, UKTI’s senior adviser at the British Embassy.”

Le Mark approached the Export Marketing Research Scheme , a UKTI scheme currently run by the British Chambers of Commerce which provides advice and grant funding for eligible companies wishing to research potential export markets. It was the second time that Le Mark had used the scheme. Stuart explains:

“What is great about the Export Marketing Research Scheme is that it gives you the opportunity to sit down, face-to-face with potential partners and ask them questions. It is not a sales trip, so people are more willing to talk to you and you can have an honest discussion with them about what they’re really looking for.

Le Mark’s research trip to Tel Aviv revealed a sophisticated marketplace that was willing to pay a premium for technically superior products. Stuart was invited onto the production lines of a mobile logistical platform manufacturer to see for himself what products were needed. As a result of this, since returning to the UK Le Mark has begun obtaining military specification accreditation for its Kraken® range of multi-purpose silicon tape.

The research found that brand is very important to the Israeli market, with British brands, in particular, being associated with quality. Many senior positions in Le Mark’s target industries are held by young people who are commercially savvy and style-conscious. Consequently, quirky brands, like Le Mark’s Dirty Rigger ™ range of gloves and personal equipment pouches, with their tongue-in-cheek humour, are fully understood, and social networking sites like Facebook are well-established as marketing channels. “We thought we might have to translate our Facebook pages into Hebrew,” says Stuart, “but the answer that came back from the research was no. Since we began selling in Israel, a quarter of our Facebook traffic is from there.”

Stuart adds: “I was surprised to discover just how big an opportunity the Israeli market represents. I expected it to be very price sensitive but it wasn’t. The message was ‘get the product and quality right and we will buy it’. It is very much a market of connections, so we concluded that a distributor would be the best route to market.”

Since the initial research visit, Stuart has appointed two distributors, including one of the most well-established companies in the industry. The company is hoping to get military spec. accreditation for its Kraken Tape ® brand within months and it has developed a new range of fashionable yet high specification heat-resistant gloves, targeted at the style-conscious Israeli entertainment installation market.

Such is Stuart’s enthusiasm for the Israeli market that, in his role as Chairman of the Huntingdonshire Manufacturers Association, he is helping to organise a mini trade mission to the country. He concludes: “There are great business opportunities in Israel, which UK companies tend to overlook. I heard over and over again Israeli companies praising British quality but saying that UK companies rarely approach them. We are delighted with our success in the country to date and appreciate the support we received from UKTI.”

Contacts

If you are based in the East of England and are interested in developing your business overseas please contact:

East of England International Trade Team

Tel: +44 (0) 845 641 9955

Email: info@uktieast.org.uk

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