Sustainability Live

Martial arts entrepreneurs, Luca Crivelli and Alfy Chapman, will be moving up a class as they switch operations to a £250,000 warehouse unit after winning the SEGRO-sponsored Bristol Evening Post Entrepreneur competition.

The two business partners, who are cousins, have been running MMA Apparel for two years from the back rooms of their homes. Luca Crivelli said winning the use of the warehouse at SEGRO’s Ashton Vale Trading Estate for a year would now give their business the kick it needed to move into the big time.

He commented: “This is a fantastic prize and it will really push us on to the next level. Having free use of a purpose-built warehouse in one of central Bristol’s busiest commercial parks will enable us to concentrate all our efforts on building the business rather than juggling stock levels between our various units.

“Anybody who has a small business and is trying to operate from a back room or garage will know how hard it is to juggle your stock to meet orders efficiently. The warehouse gives us the elbow room to really show what we have on offer.”

MMA Apparel will switch operations to a 4,736 sq ft (440 sq m) warehouse unit on the Ashton Vale Trading Estate in Bristol.

With turnover expected to hit £750,000, the cousins were fast outgrowing their network of small shops and storage units in Bristol. And with main High Street retailer Sports Direct agreeing to trial their martial arts gear as part of their online operation, the future looks bright for the Bristol-based business.

Luca explained: “Sports Direct will be trialling our brands through their websites as they believe cage fighting and kick boxing are fast becoming more popular than boxing.”

The cousins will now transfer all their stock to the warehouse allowing the whole company to operate under one roof for the first time. They are hoping to be able to add receptionist, stockist and possibly sales staff later in the summer as business picks up.

“The new warehouse will enable us to run a far more streamlined operation with orders being processed far more smoothly. It will free us up to concentrate on building the business and increasing turnover rather than chasing around Bristol trying to collect and deliver stock.

“We are really grateful to both SEGRO and the Bristol Evening Post for giving us this knockout prize. It’s our chance to turn a backroom business into a major player on the UK martial arts scene.”

Dave Bridges, National Markets Director at SEGRO, said: “It will be great to see how Luca and Alfy prosper over the next 12 months. We ran this competition with the Bristol Evening Post to give small business ideas the boost they need to turn dreams to reality and wish them every success in future.”