UK Market Entry · Lithuania & Slovenia → United Kingdom
From £0 to £1.4m UK turnover in nine months
A European architectural-glazing manufacturer wanted to establish a genuine UK operation. We helped set up the office and showroom, build the sales strategy and pipeline, support staffing and launch the business commercially.
Client / sector
Festa System UK — Architectural glazing & premium building systems
Location
Lithuania & Slovenia
Market
United Kingdom
Service provided
UK Market Entry, Sales Strategy, Business Development, Project Generation
The challenge
Festa had manufacturing capability in Europe, with activity in Lithuania and Slovenia, and a product range built around architectural glazing and premium building systems. In the United Kingdom it had effectively £0 turnover and no commercial operation.
There was no established UK office, no operating showroom, no developed sales pipeline, no meaningful brand presence and no UK commercial team. Nothing existed for a UK buyer, architect or contractor to engage with.
The requirement was not a run of enquiries. It was the commercial infrastructure needed to trade credibly in the UK — a real operating business rather than remote selling from mainland Europe.
The objective
Turn an overseas manufacturer into a credible operating presence in the United Kingdom.
Establish physical presence, commercial positioning and a sales operation that could support real project work.
Build UK pipeline from zero through proactive market development, not isolated enquiries.
Get the business commercially launched and generating revenue.
What we did
01
UK market-entry strategy
Defined how Festa should establish itself in the UK rather than attempting to sell remotely from mainland Europe — the commercial priorities, the launch sequence and the approach needed to build credibility and start generating revenue.
02
UK office set-up
Supported the establishment of a functioning UK office presence, creating a genuine local commercial base for customers, project discussions, sales activity, staff and market development.
03
Showroom development
Helped Festa establish a UK showroom as part of the market-entry strategy, giving prospective customers, architects, designers and project stakeholders a physical environment in which to experience the products and understand the proposition.
04
Sales strategy
Developed the UK sales strategy: target customers, market positioning, the sales activity required, how pipeline would be created and where the commercial priorities sat.
05
Sales pipeline development
Built the initial UK pipeline from effectively zero through proactive market development and opportunity creation, so the business had genuine commercial activity behind the infrastructure rather than only infrastructure.
06
Staffing & commercial capability
Supported Festa in establishing the people needed to run the UK business, helping shape staffing requirements and the commercial capability required to support growth.
07
UK market launch
Supported the overall transition from overseas manufacturer to functioning UK commercial operation, combining strategy, infrastructure, people, pipeline and market activity to get the business established and trading.
The outcome
£0 → £1.4m
UK turnover in 9 months
9 months
Growth period
UK operation
Established from zero
Office + showroom
Commercial presence created
UK turnover grew from £0 to approximately £1.4m within approximately nine months. That figure relates to UK turnover generated by the new operation, not total group turnover.
Festa moved from effectively no established UK market presence to a visible and growing operation with its own commercial infrastructure, pipeline and customer activity.
A UK office, showroom, sales operation, pipeline and staffing capability were established from a standing start. Festa System UK now operates from Huddersfield with its own showroom.
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Whether you're trying to generate more opportunities, strengthen your sales operation or enter a new market, start by understanding what's currently holding growth back.