A sportswear and equipment specialist is preparing to expand its business nationwide in 2016 after being supported to grow by a Cornwall Innovation Centre.
AGAME Sports offers a range of bespoke sports kits and sportswear to clubs, colleges and universities throughout the UK. Set up in 2012 by director Adrian Noott, the company moved to Pool Innovation Centre (PIC) in March last year and has already launched its brand in Devon, with plans to roll the company out across the South East in the coming months.
The move to the award-winning Innovation Centre operated by Plymouth University helped to give the emerging sports business a more professional edge, having previously been run from Adrian’s Falmouth home, and the PIC team has since supported the young company to grow at a faster rate.
Adrian Noott, director of AGAME Sports and a sportsman with Truro Cricket Club who has also played table tennis at county level, said: “We planned to be at the Innovation Centre for only a short time but fell in love with the place. It is great to be based here, and adds to the professional look and feel of our business and how we want to portray ourselves to customers.
“Being based at PIC fits around our vision for the business as it continues to grow, and the interaction between the innovation centre team and the companies working here is fantastic.”
In addition to creating sports equipment and teamwear, AGAME also produces bespoke clothing for teams with its special online kit designer.
The Cornwall Innovation programme has been supported by £29 million of investment provided by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) with the aim of boosting business growth and job creation in the region.
Companies based at the centres have enjoyed record annual growth of up to 68 per cent in one year thanks to the dedicated business support available.
And with each enterprise staying at an incubation site for an average of three years, the centres have already helped to shape the future of hundreds of emerging businesses in the region.
Richard Scutt, manager of Pool Innovation Centre, said: “AGAME has been with us here at Pool Innovation Centre for less than a year but it has been great to be able to watch the company grow and expand into new and exciting markets so quickly while still concentrating on already established customers.
“This year is set to be an exciting one for AGAME and we look forward to supporting the business every step of the way.”
