Bristol-based hot tub company Urban Cedar was overwhelmed with sales enquiries recently, after stealing the limelight in an episode of the popular BBC1 programme The Apprentice.
The family-run company, which specialises in the design and manufacture of contemporary cedar hot tubs was approached by the BBC in May last year and offered the opportunity to take part in the tenth series of the programme, which attracted up to six million viewers each week.
Filming for the show took place at theRoyal Bath & West Show as two teams of prospective apprentices battled it out to make as many sales as possible; one selling lawn mowers and garden furniture, the other selling Urban Cedar hot tubs.
Team Tenacity, which featured the series winner Mark Wright, managed to sell ten hot tubs during the first day of the Royal Show, escalating their final sales total to over £30,000 and putting them in pole position.
“The BBC approached all of the exhibitors at the country show and we were lucky enough to be shortlisted,” explains Urban Cedar’s managing director Antony Perry.
“On average we tend to sell three or four hot tubs a day, so to sell ten in a day, with the help of Team Tenacity was fantastic. In fact seven of those ten were sold to one client.”
Antony adds: “We feel that our appearance on the show went some way in putting Urban Cedar on the map. We had a great response from our existing customers and we have been inundated with new sales enquiries since the show.”
Their appearance on The Apprentice topped off a highly successful year for the Urban Cedar team, after they secured new contracts with luxury holiday park operators Hoseasons and Blue Chip Holidays.
Antony comments: “2014 was a successful year for us, so we’re feeling really positive going in to 2015. There are lots of new projects in the pipeline and we hope to continue to strengthen our position within the high end UK hot tub market.”
