The wavy hair products company has struck a major deal with the retail giant
Abi Reid with the Merwave hair care kit(Image: Merwave)
An innovative haircare company launched in lockdown by a North Tyneside couple has sealed a deal that will see its products stocked by high street giant Boots. Merwave was established by Abi and Tom Reid, of Whitley Bay, five years ago after they spotted a gap in the market for hair products for people with wavy hair.
Keen to care properly for her tresses, Abi worked with teams of experts to create the formulas for products she hadn’t been able to find anywhere else. The resulting Merwave kit comprises five separate products to “help women awaken their natural waves”.
They became an instant hit, buoyed by successful online marketing and viral videos of women using the products. New products have been added to the original five-step shampoo, conditioner, wave cream, cast foam and gel kit, and all of the products are silicone, sulphate and paraben‑free, and cruelty free.
The couple gave up different careers to launch the business, with Abi leaving a marketing position at a North East housebuilder, and e-commerce specialist Tim putting his consultancy skills to use with Merwave’s viral advertising. The company now has a fulfilment centre in Gateshead shipping out orders across the UK, and it also setting up an EU warehouse.
At the moment it employs three full-time staff members as well as six freelancers. Since launch the firm has seen huge growth, from first year turnover of £1m to current sales of around £5m. And that figure is set to increase on the back of a huge deal that will see its products stocked in scores of Boots stores around the UK.
The Merwave range(Image: Merwave)
Merwave is now stocked in 215 UK Boots stores, including Eldon Square and the Metrocentre, and the pair describe the deal as a “huge pinch-me moment”. Tom initiated the deal by contacting Boots to point out that, while its shelved were well-stocked with products for curly hair, there was nothing for wavy hair – and the two hair types require different products.
Boots soon entered into talks, and the deal was struck. Abi said: “It’s a massive opportunity for us. Our big goal is to grow the number of stores we launch in, after the initial 215 stores. A key goal is for us to define the category, create it and be the leader of wavy hair.”
Tom said: “Our goal here is to really grow that. So that’s one big focus. The next big focus is expanding to the European marketplaces – hence why we’ve got a warehouse in Europe, I’m distributing around there. And then we also want to keep growing in the UK as well.”
Abi added: “This is a really big step for us. We don’t have experience in this. This isn’t our background as we’ve never been in retail. We positively avoided it for the four to five years. It only launched on Monday but we will make it work. Obviously you can see Merwave on our website, but it just feels different seeing it in Boots.”
In 2022 Abi was named as one of the UK’s most inspirational female founders. Her story impressed judges at the national Everywoman Awards which single out female entrepreneurs. She collected the Artemis Award – a category that singles out the most inspirational woman running a business trading from 18 months to three years. Sara Davies of Crafter’s Companion is a previous winner of the Artemis award.
