Founded: 2009
Founders: Yusuf Okhai & Sheryar Adam
Turnover 2010: £340,000
Turnover 2011: £3.76m
Web: www.aydya.co.uk
Aydya Limited, winner in the New Business of the Year category at this year’s Fast Growth Business Awards (FGBA), has built its current success on the creation of two key products: Travalo, a patented refillable fragrance atomiser which enables customers to safely carry perfume and cologne wherever they go, and Anysharp, a knife sharpener designed with safety firmly in mind.
Both products have been nurtured through a tailored marketing strategy, utilising social media and positioned in carefully selected channels. The strategy has borne considerable fruit; placement on board leading airlines introduces Travalo to over 15 million flyers every month – penetrating a key target market for the product, which is primarily aimed at travellers and executives who cannot typically carry fragrance on board due to carry-on liquid restrictions.
Just 18 months after the company launched, Aydya recorded £4.5m turnover for the current financial year, and has already cultivated a huge fanbase. Travalo and Anysharp have received over 1,000,000 YouTube video views and reviews between them, and over 30,000 members of the Facebook fraternity have said they ‘like’ Aydya’s products, adding 60 new followers a day. At present, Travalo is being sold to eight of the world’s top 20 airports, and most of the top 100 airlines – clear vindication of the meticulous strategy its retailer has adopted.
In addition to FGBA, Aydya has achieved notable success at the Cosmopolitan Beauty Awards, with Travalo claiming the highly coveted ‘Best Beauty Gadget’ prize. With a new version and exciting new colours of Travalo planned for the coming months, further awards are likely to follow in the near future.
Judges' comments: Aydya piped the other finalists to the post by already having posted good profits on multi-million turnover in its first two years. The innovative company scours the world for fabulous products which it then brands and brings to market. Its first two products are already stocked in a wide array of stores around the world.
Yusuf Okhai, MD, Aydya said, "We started this company with a simple vision. From inception, our primary goal at Aydya (pronounced "idea") is to bring a very rare breed of products to market, with one common factor. They have to work, and brilliantly so, at an affordable price. The sensational uptake of Travalo perfume atomizers and AnySharp knife sharpeners, the wonderful end user reviews, and recognition like this award help us retain the spirit and drive with which we started. Many thanks to all concerned. You inspire us."
www.aydya.co.uk