Downpatrick-based Vivomed, a leading online UK supplier of sports medicine, physiotherapy and first aid products, and training courses, has secured its first business in the Middle East, worth £80,000, with assistance from Invest Northern Ireland.
The company has begun supplying its range of products to a major distributor in Abu Dhabi following its participation on the Invest NI stand at the Arab Health Exhibition in Dubai which took place earlier in the year. Vivomed expects the business to be worth around £80,000 over the next 12 months.
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Chris Webb, Vivomed Business development Manager, is pictured with Invest NI Trade Director Dr Vicky Kell in Downpatrick.[/caption]
Formed in 1995 by pharmacist Ronnie Lennon, Vivomed now supplies a comprehensive portfolio of products for treating sports injuries from first-aid kits and trauma bags to strapping, tapes, a full range of pharmaceuticals and, defibrillators from Heartsine in Belfast. As well as marketing assistance, the company has received support from Invest NI to develop its e-commerce site. Vivomedcurrently employs 15 people at two sites in Downpatrick including a warehouse operation.
Vivomed’s Business Development Manager Chris Webb said: “Taking part with Invest NI at Arab Health was tremendously important as it provided the mechanism for us to make many excellent contacts and ensure that our products complied with specific market requirements in Abu Dhabi.
“We were able to engage with those who expressed interest in our products and expertise and follow the leads up when we returned home. We also identified a suitable distribution partner to work with. We have also been able to access invaluable trade advice from the experienced team at Invest NI.
“We’ve supplied an initial order to our new partner in Abu Dhabi and expect the business to grow steadily over the next 12 months. In addition, we intend to use Abu Dhabi as a springboard to other neighbouring markets especially Dubai and Qatar, both of which, we believe, offer significant business opportunities for our range of products and training expertise. Qatar, of course, has been designated by FIFA to host a forthcoming World Cup.”
Dr Vicky Kell, Invest NI Trade Director, said: “Vivomed is the most recent Northern Ireland company to benefit from participation in Arab Health, an exhibition that’s now recognised as being an ideal platform for business growth in the Middle East and indeed further afield. It is now recognised as one of the major international shows of this type.
“As Vivomed’s success shows, the exhibition provides the opportunity to generate quality leads, especially from affluent markets in the Gulf, that companies can convert into worthwhile business. I commend Vivomed for their tenacity to follow up the leads on their return, it is a vital step that some companies fail to focus on.
“Invest NI has great experience of commercial requirements, procedures and practices in global markets like Dubai, and local companies, both large and small, can access this to ensure profitable business.”
Formed in 1995 by pharmacist Ronnie Lennon, Vivomed now supplies a comprehensive portfolio of products for treating sports injuries from first-aid kits and trauma bags to strapping, tapes, a full range of pharmaceuticals and, defibrillators from Heartsine in Belfast. As well as marketing assistance, the company has received support from Invest NI to develop its e-commerce site. Vivomedcurrently employs 15 people at two sites in Downpatrick including a warehouse operation.
The company recently secured a contract from Ireland’s Gaelic Athletic Association to provide trauma bags as part of a new medical initiative to improve and standardise the emergency medical equipment available in all major county grounds.
The initiative involves all 32 GAA counties acquiring a bespoke trauma bag, or magic bag, packed with a full range of emergency medical equipment that has been specifically designed for the requirements of the sporting organisation.
Vivomed also provided all the physiotherapy and pharmaceuticals for the British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa in 2009, as well as supplying the majority of professional sports across Ireland including Munster, Connaught, Leinster, the IRFU, the IFA and numerous other teams.
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