Andrew Hammond, the managing director of Oxford Products, tells Ben Holgate how success in the 2014 Oxfordshire Business Awards raised the company’s profile

ANDREW Hammond’s motorcycle accessories company enjoyed two coups in 2014 — getting Prime Minister and Witney MP David Cameron to open Oxford Products’ new headquarters in Witney, and winning the Oxfordshire Business of the Year Award.

Both were integral to boosting the family company’s profile.

Managing director Mr Hammond said of the award: “It’s fantastic for our business profile at home and abroad because we’re a big exporter.”

Mr Cameron officially opened Oxford Products’ new 100,000 square-foot warehouse and office space in May.

“That has been tremendous for our business. So many people have responded as well,” said Mr Hammond.

The new HQ has doubled the company’s floor space, reflecting its growth trajectory and need for more room.

Mr Hammond said revenue would be more than £22m in 2014, up from £20.1m in 2013 and more than double the £9.7m recorded in 2007.

Although Oxford Products does not disclose earnings, Mr Hammond said the company was profitable.

The firm sells thousands of products of cycle and motorcycle accessories – although not actual motorbikes – such as helmets, jackets, trousers, gloves, chains and locks, and luggage. It sells directly to motorcycle dealers and shops, and claims a domestic market share of about 60 per cent in its core business.

“It is very much a leisure industry,” said Mr Hammond.

The average age of a British motorcycle rider is 49, with a strong bias towards men.

The key driver for growth is exports, which were up 24 per cent in the year to December 2014 and now account for 25 per cent of total revenues.

By contrast, UK sales were up eight per cent over the same period due to an increase in the number of products offered.

Although Oxford Products exports to more than 60 countries its main markets are Australia, Canada, the United States, New Zealand, France, Germany and Poland.

In 2012 the company opened a US distribution centre in Jacksonville, Florida, which management hopes will help grow its sales in the South American market as well.

Oxford Products’ business model is based around designing most of the accessories it sells, but leaving the manufacturing to third parties based in China, Vietnam, South Korea, Indonesia and Pakistan.

Mr Hammond took the 2014 Business Person of the Year Award.

In the same year the company was a finalist for Employer of the Year. It won Large Business of the Year in 2013.

Following convention, as the incumbent overall prize-winner Oxford Products will sponsor the Oxfordshire Business of the Year Award in 2015. Entries for the Oxfordshire Business Awards close on February 27.

Mr Hammond, 42, was appointed managing director in 2001, taking over from his father, Alec Hammond, a motorcycle enthusiast who founded the company in 1973 in Oxford.

It began life around the corner from the then family home in Regent Street, East Oxford. Alec remains chairman and major shareholder.

Andrew Hammond joined the business in 1991, working his way up through different parts of the organisation.

His twin brother, Graham, left the business in 1999 to become an RSPCA inspector.

Elder brother Richard, 44, joined the company briefly before becoming a retail consultant.

The prospect of a third generation remains a possibility. Andrew Hammond, a motorcycle rider who is married with three children aged seven to 10, said: “My nine-year-old daughter has been saying for the past two years she wants my job. I’ve told her she has to work her way through the business like everybody else and there are no guarantees.”

Sponsors of the Oxfordshire Business Awards 2015, which include The Oxford Times, will decide on the three finalists for each of the prize categories on May 6.

The gala awards dinner, which attracts about 500 people, will be held at the Oxford Thames Four Pillars Hotel, in Sandford, on June 19.

The award categories are:

  • The Oxford Brookes University Innovation Award
  • The Oxford Times Charity and Community Award
  • The Ridgeway Digital Innovation Award
  • The Owen Mumford Export Award
  • The BLUE LAW by Darbys Solicitors Small Business Award
  • The Shaw Gibbs Young Business Person of the  Year Award
  • The Shaw Gibbs Business Person of the Year Award
  • The Oxfordshire LEP New Business Award
  • The Oxfordshire Apprenticeships Apprenticeship of the Year Award
  • The NatWest Large Business Award
  • The Heart Marketing Excellence Award
  • The Four Pillars Cultural Events & Tourism Award
  • The Hays Employer of the Year Award
  • The Inchcape Mercedes-Benz Retail Award