About Us
- 1989
The Kite Company established. Starting with a half container of sports kites from the USA stored in a mate’s spare bedroom, the need to distribute was real and from there the ambition to grow and expand began.
- 1995
Matt Woodruffe recruited to expand and accelerate sales into new territories.
- 1996
Renamed TKC due to the growing diversity of product and customers. Appointed distributor of Razors Skates – one of the first of many new brands to complement our kite and juggling distribution.
- 1998
Yo-Yo Boom! TKC in collaboration with Bandai, drive marketing and promotional initiatives which deliver the largest Yo-Yo boom since the 1920’s, firmly opening the Toy Market to TKC’s other great outdoor products including Guinness Book of Records recognised Aerobie and recently acquired distribution for The Original Stomp Rocket.
- 1999
Kite Surfing is Born – TKC organises the first professional instructor training courses in the UK, delivering 28 qualified instructors to fuel growth in this new sport. TKC actively encourages the formation and participates in The British Kitesurfing Association and with Paul Jobin as its first Chairman, helps to assure it’s growth and future. TKC’s sponsored riders scoop 1st place in the 2001 Junior, Women’s and Men’s UK Championships.
- 2001
UK Junior Champ – Aaron Hadlow (later moving on to become unbeaten World Champ for many years), Women’s Champ and one of the first Qualified UK female instructors – Kirsty Jones Legendary UK Pioneer and 2001 Champion Ben “dreads” Hanbury One of TKC’s early dealer presentations – @The Hilton Hotel, Bath driving over £1m turnover that year for the brand Wipika.
- 2002
Benetton Group (soon after brands transferred to Tecnica Spa) appoint TKC as their UK and Ireland distributor for Rollerblade and Nordica, from which our Street Sports offering expands further and we introduce a new territory for Outdoor and Snow Sports.
- 2003
Europe’s biggest selling Outdoor Footwear brand Lowa appoints TKC as their distributor for the UK and Ireland.
- 2007
TKC take on Wow Stuff best-in Class gifts to boost Autumn Trade to Toy and Gift market customers further stabilizing future growth, adding more successful product to existing customers and opening even more new customer doors to TKC.
- 2008
The Old Spitfire Hangar, Steeple Ashton becomes TKC’s new home with bigger and better office accommodation, 3x the floor space and twice the storage height as Keynsham – Just in time, as we experience an 18% surge in turnover as a result of Nordica exceeding £1m sales, Wow Stuff booming, the addition of more credible Street Brands, such as Toy Machine and Element plus all other brands performing very well.
- 2011
TKC delivers their first £1m month then go wake boarding for the day to celebrate.
Scooter Boom – TKC introduce Grit Scooters and deliver instant success in the market.
- 2012
TKC is appointed exclusive distributor for the Mi-Pac backpacks for the UK and Ireland. Mi-Pac becomes the fastest selling backpack in the UK and opens another territory for TKC within the fashion retail market.
- 2013
Tecnica Spa appoint TKC as UK and Ireland distributor for Tecnica Ski Boots and Blizzard Skis with Andy Parish taking up the reins as Brand Manager.
- 2014
New Showroom opened at TKC’s The Old Spitfire Hangar, to deliver ever better product and opportunity presentations. In this same year Slingshot Sports appoints TKC as distributor for its world renowned Kitesurf and Wake board ranges headed up by Rich Lane.
- 2015
Matt Woodruffe and Paul Wearmouth complete Management Buy Out of TKC Sales making the company totally independent and set up for more opportunity for all concerned.
Our Story....
Way back in the late 1980’s, Richard Boissevain and Paul Jobin were working for the same financial organisation in London, when Richard noticed on Paul’s desk a trophy of a kite crowning Paul “European Stunt Kite Champion”. This sparked the idea for a new enterprise and soon after The Kite Company was formed in October 1989. Nearly 25 years on TKC Sales has grown into one of the leading distributors of action sports and active leisure products in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Whilst kites are still very much part of our business, our current best-in-class brands and products now take in beach, street, snow, bike, mountain and outdoor sports. Likewise, our customer base has grown to match these opportunities and includes the UK and Ireland’s best independent and specialist stores, right the way up to the major high street multiples and online retailers.
We insist on employing sales and marketing professionals who are fully engaged and participate in the sports we’re passionate about. In this way we can positively promote, support and elevate each and every brand we represent. Our team at Steeple Ashton in Wiltshire provides the essential support for this sales and marketing effort. From purchasing and logistics through to warehousing and customer service, everyone pulls together to deliver an exceptional service for our retail customers.
We are hugely proud and protective of TKC’s reputation for exceptional service over the past 33 years. From humble beginnings, we now represent over 30 brands, handle 100,000 shipments a year and serve over 4000 retail outlets.
As to the future, we remain committed to building strong brands for our partners and serving our customers superbly. We seek new brands which have the aspiration and potential to be best in their class and can benefit from TKC’s experience and reputation to grow in the UK and Ireland.
Matt Woodruffe,
Managing Director
TKC Sales Ltd.