Coast to Coast Fulfillment, Inc. is helping Leicestershire-based Base Formula grow in the U.S.
WEST GREENWICH, RI, USA — A Melton Mowbray-based aromatherapy company that does almost half of its business in China, has more than doubled its exports to the US since teaming up with American logistics partner Coast to Coast Fulfillment.
Base Formula was launched as a homebased business in 1996 and has since grown to be one of the UK’s leading aromatherapy companies, supplying premium grade essential oils, carrier oils, massage oils, cosmetic bases and aromatherapy skincare products to over 5,000 therapists in the UK.
The company also supplies products worldwide, with China and Hong Kong being its largest export markets.
“We had been successfully exporting to the Far East for some time before we started to research the US market, with a view to supplying Asian customers within the US.” said Base Formula managing director Jackie McKellar.
“Initially we were supplying the US directly from the UK, but this meant customers had to pay for international shipping and also wait longer for their goods to arrive.”
Base Formula launched its own US website in 2012 to offer its American customers quicker delivery times and domestic shipping rates.
“It was quite a daunting prospect to set up our own US operation, but we found a third party logistics provider, Rhode Island-based Coast to Coast Fulfillment and they were able to guide us through the complexities of selling to the US market and most importantly, gave us the ability to ship orders directly to consumers from within the US,” said Jackie.
Base Formula’s US sales doubled in the first year of trading and business continues to grow year on year. Coast to Coast, a specialist in retail and consumer product distribution across the USA, act as the warehouse, distribution and US customer service interface for the Base Formula operation.
Randy Lundquist of Coast to Coast Fulfillment commented: “Base Formula are a great example of a British business that is making a success of exporting to the States. The US is a very large market and doing business here isn’t quite the same as anywhere else in the world.
“We have helped a number of UK firms come over to the USA, whether they are selling through the huge retailers, or direct to the consumer there are massive opportunities, and Base Formula has taken advantage of these.”
Randy added: “It has been great experience partnering with another British success story, and we’re looking forward to helping them grow further in the US market.”