10,000 Champions: John Smith & Giles Harridge of GettingPersonal.co.uk
Fast-moving Manchester online retailer has raised serious money.
It may sound slightly iffy, but GettingPersonal.co.uk is actually a fast-growing online retail business (£10m sales last year) providing personalised gifts.
Founded by friends Giles Harridge and John Smith (they met at ante-natal classes at Wythenshawe Hospital), the pair started out selling personalised calendars. Now they shift more than 4,000 personalised items from their 10,000 sq ft Wythenshawe base.
Online retail is an incredibly fast-moving space, with online UK sales predicted to hit £56bn this year. GettingPersonal.co.uk has been backed by Isis Equity Partners, which is also behind online retailers such as On the Beach and Wiggle. Steve Richards, former CEO of Interflora, is joining the GettingPersonal board as chairman.