What can the shed industry learn from the mattress industry? Quite a lot it seems. For Bradford-based Jack Sutcliffe, buying a shed had always seemed overwhelming, with hundreds of different types and options to choose from. He believed there must be a better way to give customers an easy choice and fast delivery.
The result was Powershed, named Innovation Award Winner at the eBay for Business Awards 2020. Taking inspiration from the ‘mattress in a box’ phenomenon that has transformed the mattress market through flexible delivery, Jack created a modular garden shed that can fit onto a pallet. This means it can be delivered next day to anywhere in the UK, or anywhere in Europe within a week.
In fact, Powershed is the first wooden shed manufacturer capable of delivering its entire product range throughout Europe.
In little more than a year, the Powershed brand has become synonomous with simplicity. Sheds are manufactured as a modular product, which are then delivered to the customer for assembly. Modular units make the build process simple and cost-effective, while customers can place doors and windows in any position according to their preferences. Powershed offers 400 products, and with thousands of different configurations there’s a shed to suit any garden.
Established with a small personal investment in March 2019, the business took off rapidly three months later when it received a £6000 government job-creation grant to buy a saw. By the end of the year Powershed had 20 employees building 100 sheds a week.
They’ve now added 22 trade customers, including large retailers like Wayfair, and are the highest-ranked garden shed company on Trustpilot.
Named one of the top three start-ups to watch out for by The Sunday Times, Powershed has also featured in numerous garden and manufacturing publications.
Award judge Mark Brown of Editors Keys was impressed by the speed with which Powershed turned a small investment into a large business. “The branding, photography and feel of the business has also been done to such a high standard, with the eBay store looking really clean and simple to understand,” he said. “I don’t actually own a shed, but if I was looking to purchase one, I think their brand and unique story would really appeal to me.
“I can also see this sector growing on eBay due to Covid and people looking for more outdoor spaces, or places to keep things tidy in the garden.”
