Huddersfield-based The Body Doctor was recently named the fastest growing small business in Ward Hadaway’s Yorkshire Fastest 50 2022 list, published in association with The Yorkshire Post.
Here, the innovator’s CEO, Sue Grant, explains how vital research and development (R&D) has been to the growth of the business, along with Bill Goodwin.partner and director of intellectual property at Ward Hadaway, the law firm of Top 100 lawyers in the UK.
“When I walk into a Boots or Superdrug store and see our range of eye care products it feels a bit surreal, but the most rewarding part of it all is knowing how many people our products are helping,” says Sue Grant, CEO of The Body. Doctor, makers of the acclaimed Eye Doctor range.
“Innovation, driven by research and development, has been our unique selling point. We have developed some very technical medical products and made them retail-grade to engage with consumers and educate them about eye health. Specifically, we encourage them to take ownership of their own eyelid hygiene.”
And the company hasn’t done things by halves. The Body Doctor, which Sue runs with her two sons, Adam Wymer, the company’s COO, and Sales and Marketing Manager Sam Wymer, has just won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category.
The awards are for British companies that stand out in international trade, innovation, sustainable development or the promotion of opportunity. They are among the highest accolades a British company can achieve.
Sue continues: “We won the award earlier in 2016 for our Eye Doctor compress and its ability to effectively melt oils on the eyelids to protect the tear film and treat dry eye disease (DED), which currently affects around the 20 percent of the world’s population.This area of eye health has been neglected for a long time, but we were determined, and still are, to dedicate the investment in research and development necessary to create truly innovative products that help improve care We were the first to create, sell and distribute a hot compress to treat DED, Blepharitis and Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD), traditionally only sold by opticians, to major pharmacy retail chains.
“We are responding to a real health risk: bacteria can cause blindness. One in four people in the UK suffer from DED and, if left untreated, symptoms can worsen and cause permanent eye damage. That was our inspiration to develop an antibacterial shield applied to our fabrics to reduce bacteria by 99.9%,” explains Sue.
“Through laser-focused research and development, we first established the problem of bacteria on masks, gathered the clinical data that supports that bacteria are detrimental to eye health, and then investigated a solution.”
That solution was Sterileyes, which is used to treat bacterial conditions of the eyelids. A patent for Sterileyes was granted in 2021, after five years of research and development. R&D continues to play a key role in the business and is currently funding a PhD at Aston University to look specifically at the effects of bacteria on the eye.
Sue explains: “Working with universities and clinicians around the world – Dr. Hilary Jones is one of our medical advisors – allows us to gain a greater understanding of the challenges facing ophthalmologists and assess where we can help our consumers in the future.” handling a variety of conditions.”
The Body Doctor’s approach is clearly paying off. Revenue has grown by over 600% since 2018 and its portfolio has expanded from one product in 2012 when the company was launched to over 15 products in its Eye Doctor range. The company is also the exclusive distributor of other eye care brands around the world.
Bill Goodwin, Director of Intellectual Property at Ward Hadaway in Leeds, said: “The Body Doctor exemplifies how R&D plays a critical role in developing innovative products that change the industry and enable companies to differentiate themselves from the competition.
“The company sells a medically proven proprietary product and is endorsed by optometrists and ophthalmologists around the world. In doing so, The Body Doctor has realized the value of intellectual property (IP) as a critical strategic tool for growth entrepreneurship that is now reaping rewards not only for the company, but also for the people it helps.
“Many congratulations to Sue, Adam, Sam and the team for becoming Yorkshire’s fastest growing small business this year, a remarkable achievement for a company that has just celebrated its first decade in business.”
The business is poised for continued growth, with Eye Doctor brand turnover expected to increase by 93 percent in the next…
More about this article: Read More
Source: www.yorkshirepost.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-05-16 23:00:00
