Merseyside brand marketing specialist Wild Thang on course for growth of up to 30% this year and says it will continue to step up its efforts towards sustainability and net zero. Tony McDonough reports
Wild Thang founder and managing director Andrew Dwerryhouse has told LBN the business is on course for growth of up to 30% in 2024 amid an international expansion.
Based in Bootle, close to the Port of Liverpool’s northern docklands, Wild Thang produces a large range of branded products for multiple blue chip clients including SkyBet, McDonald’s and Paddy Power.
It defied the strong headwinds of the pandemic to invest more than £2m in a huge upgrade of its headquarters. Since then it has invested hundreds of thousands of pounds more in new production equipment to increase capacity and improve efficiency.
In October last year Wild Thang completed the installation of 290 solar panels on the roof of its factory which will provide up to 80% of its power needs. It has a target of becoming a net zero operation by 2030.
In November, the company’s sustainability efforts were recognised when it won the Sustainable Business of the Year accolade at the Liverpool Chamber Innovation in Business Awards. It also won the International Business of the Year award.
Later this year it will look to secure ‘B Corp’ status. This is an accolade given to organisations that meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.
In January LBN revealed the firm was opening a base in New Jersey in the US to add to its presence in the Republic of Ireland as it looks to grow its international client base.
And in the past week the efforts of Andrew and his team have been given another boost after they were shortlisted in the Business Supplier of the Year category at Downtown’s City of Liverpool Business Awards.
With headcount continuing to grow and with more new jobs likely in the coming months, Andrew says Wild Thang is really starting to motor, despite the challenges in the wider economy.
“We are nearing the end of the financial year and this is looking like the biggest 12 months in the history of the business, despite still facing the challenge of very high costs,” Andrew told LBN.
“Where we are now is absolutely remarkable when you consider where the world was exactly four years ago at the outset of the pandemic. We were in the midst of a £2m investment and yet business was about to fall off a cliff.
“We held our nerve and pushed on with the expansion plan. The determination and resilience shown by our whole team during that time was incredible. We have long talked about ‘the Wild Thang way’ but those days truly showed me what it meant.”
Financial success for the business is critical. It safeguards current jobs and helps Wild Thang create new ones. But for Andrew, the Wild Thang mission goes way beyond fiscal growth.
He explained: “As a business we have a responsibility to our staff, to our clients, to our suppliers… there is no doubt about that. But we also have a wider responsibility to our local communities and to be part of the collective fight against climate change.
“We are working to make our product range as sustainable as possible. Our investment into solar was a huge step forward. Securing B Corp status will represent a major milestone on that sustainability journey.”
Wild Thang is working with Liverpool-based consultancy 2030hub on the B Corp bid. The rigorous assessment process includes answering 250 questions that all have sub questions.
Carrie Dwerryhouse, ESG (environmental, social and governance) manager at Wild Thang, added: “This is more than just a tick-box exercise. Only businesses that can truly demonstrate their commitment are successful.
“Sustainability isn’t just a bolt-on for Wild Thang, it is now core to our business model. And achieving B Corp status will show that we really mean business.”