BOOMING BUSINESS

As one of the country’s fastest-growing e-commerce fulfilment firms becomes the principal sponsor of Bristol Sport, we find out all about the booming Bristol business, Huboo. This month, we sat down with co-founder Martin Bysh, who has been breaking boundaries to do business better...

If you’re not yet familiar with the name Huboo, now’s the time to get acquainted. Recently named as one of the best places to work in Europe, the Bristol-headquartered e-commerce fulfilment firm is one of the fastest-growing fulfilment companies in the UK. Born out of a secure storage room at a Safestore in Bath, Huboo has blossomed into a 600–strong team spread across the UK and Europe. After recently hitting the headlines with the news that it will become the principal partner for all five of Bristol Sport’s professional teams – a UK-first for a sporting group – we thought it was time we found out more about this extraordinary local success story.

On a particularly wet April afternoon, we sat down with CEO and co-founder Martin Bysh at Huboo’s HQ on Corn Street – an office that oozes contemporary class and creativity. He explained exactly how –in just five short years – he and fellow founder Paul Dodd managed to create a multi-million pound empire; one that has become known as the Amazon of the West Country.

Where it all began

Like all great ideas, the concept of Huboo derived from a conversation Martin and Paul had while standing on the side-lines of their sons’ Saturday morning football match. Frustrated by the lack of quality, trusted multi-channel fulfilment providers, they saw an opportunity to bring their entrepreneurial background and technology experience together. With complementary skills, they were able to create the company that we know today – a reliable enterprise that helps online businesses of all sizes grow by taking care of their e-commerce order fulfilment needs.

Since 2017, the founders have been refining their craft, creating an optimum customer experience and a failsafe business ecosystem. They have employed hundreds of new starters, won a multitude of awards –including the Global Business Excellence Award for Outstanding Innovation – and opened further warehouses in Chippenham, Eindhoven, Netherlands, Madrid, Spain and Leipzig, Germany. But what was the key to their exponential growth, we hear you ask?

First and foremost, Martin and Paul rebuilt the warehouse model from the ground up. They introduced micro hubs into the traditional warehouse model and powered each hub with an intuitive software that provides everything from transaction management and quality control to integration with popular marketplaces, such as Amazon, eBay and Shopify. From the get-go, this model dramatically improved the fulfilment efficiency and kept costs down.

What’s more, the founders designed well-rounded jobs to keep their employees happy. In turn, they found that their clients were eager to return. Moving away from the way in which fulfilment companies traditionally employ staff, hiring pickers to walk an average of 10 miles a day while preparing items for shipping, Huboo employed hub managers to carry out a range of different tasks within the micro hub setup. As a result, their days were kept varied and interesting. Managers would open up in the morning, lock up at night, stay in regular contact with clients and provide a personal service that ultimately allows businesses to grow and succeed at a faster rate.

“We have happy people that want to come to work and enjoy what they do,” Martin says. “We also have happy clients who get to speak to the people in the warehouse when normally there’s a barrier. Warehouse churn rates [the rate at which customers stop doing business with a company over a given period of time] are traditionally awful, whereas our churn rates in the micro hubs are near to zero.”

To prove that Huboo’s clients are, in fact, happy, Martin explains the company’s Net Promoter Score (NPS) – an index ranging from -100 to 100 that measures the willingness of customers to recommend a company's services to others. It is used as a proxy for gauging the customer's overall satisfaction and the customer's loyalty to the brand.

“Our warehouses are at 56, which would be staggering for any business,” says Martin. “The highest score in the entire company, however, is the first micro hub we ever rolled out. It has an NPS of 76. Hardly any businesses have that score, whether they are office-based or work in luxury. We’re creating great jobs for great people. Unlike many fulfilment companies – we have nothing to hide – we’re proud of every part of our business.”

A Hub Manager working in one of Huboo’s micro hubs “We’re creating great jobs for great people. Unlike many fulfilment companies – we have nothing to hide – we’re proud of every part of our business,” says Martin Huboo’s first warehouse in Emerson’s Green, Bristol

What makes Huboo particularly unique, however, is how it helps people move up through the ranks dynamically, allowing people to progress, learn new skills, and even forge a career path in a separate department.

“Warehouses are typically dead-end jobs. In the last year, we have had 50 people move from the warehouse to other parts of the business. People have moved into tech, into marketing, into sales and we actively try to help them do that. That’s the thing that myself and Paul enjoy more than anything else. Our position is: if people are really great, we just want to hang on to them. If they’re not happy where they are, we need to try and find a place that suits them.”

Harnessing the Huboo culture

After inventing an ingenious micro hub methodology, Martin and Paul implemented a culture of fairness, openness, collaboration and fun into their business; an environment where people can be themselves, work together and meet the needs of clients. The fifth floor of the Bristol HQ houses a working bar, climbing wall, games consoles and rooftop balcony, which allows a natural space for colleagues to meet and socialise, producing a real sense of community within the company. Every month Huboo also has a “Town Hall” meeting, hosted by the founders themselves, which is live streamed across all the offices and warehouses.

“You can’t run a white-collar organisation without caring about people,” says Martin. “We have 100 developers employed in this building and they could go anywhere tomorrow because they have lots of choices. What’s more challenging and what happens much less as a consequence is building great jobs for people who have fewer choices. Warehouse jobs are a great example of that. When we decided to build this business, we wanted to tackle the problems in this market. Typically people would innovate people out of the business – they would bring in technology and automation. They tend to have this assumption that machines are better than human beings. We do have robots because there are some jobs that you are just much better off getting robots to do. For instance, stock checking in our pallet warehouses. Asking a human to stock check can be both dangerous and tedious so it’s about having the right tool for the right job. We quickly realised that the ultimate multi-purpose tool, if you treat them properly, is a human being. You have to innovate around them; think of ways to make them happy and bring out the best in them.”

Bristol: home of innovative tech

Huboo has succeeded tremendously off the back of hard work, innovation and a genuine care for its employees and clients, but its location is arguably pivotal to its fast progression. Last year, Bristol was named as one of the UK’s fastest-growing tech hubs after firms attracted more than £100m in venture capital funding. Bristol is a start-up haven for so many reasons.

Firstly, the city is home to numerous leading universities and higher education institutions, which pump a pipeline of extraordinary talent

into the city. This alone attracts a mix of tech companies to Bristol every year.

Secondly, Bristol is awash with hubs in various guises. The city’s incubator organisations, innovation centres and co-working spaces allow the tech community to thrive collaboratively and collectively. In turn, this creates a supportive start-up culture that nurtures each and every brand.

Furthermore, the city has a long history of technology and engineering innovation. From Brunel’s suspension bridge, to the aerospace industry and Rolls-Royce’s pioneering technologies, the city has been an engine of innovation for centuries. Civil Engineering was even among the first departments when the University of Bristol was born in 1909.

“Bristol has a great entrepreneurial network and this area punches above its weight from that point of view. We often get involved with the universities, mentoring students that are interested in being entrepreneurs and we try to utilise that early talent.

“Bristol is also a fabulous part of the country, a stunning place to bring up kids and an exciting place to be. The city will only get better as the government recognises that something exciting is happening here –more funding will come this way.”

Doing business better

As the European Green Capital, Bristol has pledged to become carbon neutral and climate resilient by 2030. This means the city’s businesses must help in every way they can to ensure that the city reaches its goal within the decade.

As more and more customers and employees also seek to buy from and work for organisations that align with their social values, support a better way of doing business and a better future for our planet, there is a real focus on what businesses are doing for the greater good of the environment.

“We try and think of these things holistically,” says Martin. “We think about what we can do now – we don’t obsess about things that might happen 100 years from now. In our warehouses, we have introduced Falk panels and made sure that all our vehicles are electric. We also have a no waste policy – if a client goes out of business, the goods are sold and the money is given to charity. At every stage of the business, we try to make sure that we’re essentially creating as little damage as we can and tidying up after ourselves where possible.”

Given the incredible rise of the company, not least five years packed with milestone achievements, you wonder how far this company can continue to grow at such a speed. Yet, Huboo was recently identified in a government report as one of three companies within Bristol’s burgeoning tech sector expected to attain a ‘unicorn’ valuation of more than US$1bn over the coming years. Martin and Paul are just getting started. Remember this name. n • huboo.com

The fifth floor of the Bristol HQ houses a working bar, climbing wall, games consoles and rooftop balcony, which allows a natural space for colleagues to meet and socialise, producing a real sense of community within the company

SPRING BEAUTY TAKE 5

Layla Touati, assistant beauty manager and make-up artist at Harvey Nichols Bristol picks five beauty must-haves for spring....

UOMA Royal Heir-itage Palette, £44

Queen, accept your crown – UOMA’s exquisitely crafted, and highly pigmented colour palette. Named for ten magnificent queens of ancient Africa, journey through a collection of the most pigmented matte colours, otherworldly sparkle textures and vibrant metallic finishes. UOMA’s best-selling Black Magic formula delivers lavish textures which transform into ultra-thin yet full-coloured swatches for a long-lasting and water-resistant finish.

OUAI, Detox Shampoo, £24

Been on a dry shampoo binge? OUAI’s concentrated Detox Shampoo with apple cider vinegar will deeply cleanse away dirt, oil and impurities. Infused with the brand’s signature Melrose Place fragrance, it also removes build up from styling products, air pollution and hard water deposits, leaving hair feeling refreshed and super clean.

PIXI, Glow Tonic 100ml, £10

Pixi’s miracle-working Glow Tonic toner helps to brighten the complexion resulting in a healthy glow. Formulated with 5% glycolic acid, it exfoliates, brightens and smooths skin. Aloe vera, ginseng, and botanical extracts work together to nourish and treat, revealing an improved complexion. Alcohol-free, it’s gentle on all skin types.

CREED, Wind Flowers Eau De Parfum, £260

Inspired by movement, Wind Flowers is the latest women's Eau De Parfum from Creed. Floral and fresh, this fragrance opens with sweet jasmine, wrapped around the zesty scent of Tunisian orange blossom and softened by a fresh and a fruity peach note. A powerful heart of delicate jasmine flower, tuberose petals and a soft rose extract add depth and texture to this fragrance while a warm flurry of sandalwood is twisted around a haze of iris and musk. A vibrant note of orange blossom and creamy praline offsets this dusky floral scent; bringing to life this luminous fragrance for her.

All products are available from Harvey Nichols Bristol; harveynichols.com

111SKIN, Sub Zero De-Puffing Energy Facial Mask, £20

111SKIN’s Sub-Zero De-Puffing Energy Mask is two-piece, full face hydrogel mask formulated to alleviate signs of puffiness and fatigue. Infused with peptides, enzymes and caffeine, the multifunctional formula includes a powerful tetrapeptide to help reduce puffiness, hydrate and tighten. The complexion is left looking refreshed and reinvigorated.

SHINING BRIGHT

Summer is coming, which is typically the time when people start to become more conscious of their skin. In preparation for the half-term getaway at the end of the month, Dr Genevieve Osborne, a Consultant Dermatologist at Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital, gives advice on the sort of things we should keep in mind when spending time in the sun.

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the UK – but most is curable if caught early. Sun is the primary cause of skin cancer; the sun’s ultra violet (UV) rays – both UVA and UVB – can cause genetic and immune changes in the skin which could lead to skin cancer in the future.

The two main categories of skin cancer are melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer. Melanoma skin cancer is the more serious form which, if not treated early, can spread more rapidly internally. Over the last 20 years, it has become the fastest increasing cancer, probably reflecting changes in people’s sun exposure habits, and in particular can affect a younger population – although all forms of skin cancer become more common with advancing years. Non-melanoma skin cancer includes basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

The reactions that immediate sun exposure can cause are redness (‘sunburn’), tanning (caused by an increased amount of the pigment melanin) and freckling (where the melanin occurs in clumps). All these changes can be risk factors for the development of skin cancer, but sunburn is particularly risky, especially in children. Use of sunscreen at least SPF 30 with 5* UVA cover, protective clothing and wide-brimmed hats helps to prevent sunburn, as does avoiding exposure to the most intense sun between 11-3pm. Individuals who are more light-skinned, with fair or red hair, who have a freckling tendency, or those with a lot of moles are all more prone to skin cancer.

Moles are common ordinary skin spots that represent clumps of pigment-making cells called melanocytes. They’re usually brown, sometimes pink and can be flat or raised. They start to appear in early childhood, more so in response to sun exposure, but they can also occur spontaneously at nonsun exposed sites and may be hereditary. When moles become cancerous, they’re called ‘melanoma’. A change in a mole, such as enlargement, change in colour, shape or size may be signs that it has become a melanoma. Less often, melanoma may cause bleeding, irritation and itching.

Melanoma can also develop on normal skin, where there was no mole present before. Many people aren’t in the habit of checking their moles for change but this does help to pick up melanoma early. A typical melanoma is a brown, irregularshaped mark that may show several shades of colour and have a fuzzy border; occasionally a melanoma can be pink.

As most melanomas develop silently, it can be helpful to have your moles assessed by a Dermatologist, particularly if you have risk factors such as fair skin, many moles, a family history or have had considerable sun exposure or used a sun bed. If a suspicious mole is seen, it may be surgically removed and sent for analysis, and early detection of melanoma can be life-saving. The Dermatology team at Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital can make a risk assessment of your skin, photographically map suspicious moles for surveillance purposes, treat pre-cancerous changes and surgically treat many skin cancers where present.

People who have accumulated much sunexposure over the years are prone to precancerous skin conditions that can turn into SCC, and they are at greater risk of BCC too. These skin cancers are usually managed surgically. Individuals who have had a nonmelanoma skin cancer are more prone to further such cancers in the future and therefore benefit from regular skin surveillance by a Dermatologist for early diagnosis.

Dermatologists would never view a sun tan as ‘healthy’, because it is a sign that there has been damage which may later lead to skin cancer. However, some exposure to sun is required to maintain Vitamin D levels, so it’s important not to avoid it completely. Vitamin D plays a key role in our immune protection, and can still be made in the body when a sunscreen is applied. Certain skin conditions, such as psoriasis, are actually improved by UV exposure from the sun, so the important message is to avoid sunburn and prolonged exposure, and know your own risk factors, regularly inspecting your skin for changes.

If you would like to book an appointment with Dr Osborne, or one of the other members of the Dermatology team at Nuffield Health Bristol Hospital, Dr Helen Audrain and Dr Adam Bray, call 0117 911 5339, or visit our website: www.nuffieldhealth.com/hospitals/bristol.

Walk this way!

Ade Williams MBE, lead pharmacist at Bedminster Pharmacy and brilliant Bristol ambassador explains the importance of walking...

Walking is an exciting and memorable key developmental milestone for a child. Employing balance and muscle coordination - standing up, supporting body weight from one leg to the other and moving around, offers mobility and freedom. As we age, this is something that we only cherish more and more.

The average adult will walk almost 75,000 miles over their lifetime – the equivalent of three times travelling around the world. Yet, we know that non-age or disability-related reduced physical inactivity has crept into all our lives.

About 1 in 3 (34%) men and 1 in 2 (42%) women are not active enough. Compared to the 1960s, our population is around 20% less active. This is not good news. If current trends continue, we will be 35% less active by 2030.

This is a story of the modern life; the lure of convenience, the everconstant pursuit of speed and a less physically demanding existence. The combination of personal choices and societal design, including longer desk-based work and screen activities, has us driving every time and everywhere, plus ubiquitous digitally-enabled cab-calling means “let's get an uber” is a more widely used lexicon than “let’s walk over”.

I am certainly as guilty as anyone else. Worryingly, our reduced physical inactivity is associated with 1 in 6 deaths in the UK and is estimated to cost the UK £7.4 billion annually (including £0.9 billion to the NHS alone).

Many people don’t realise that physical activity has significant benefits for health, both physical and mental, and can help prevent and manage other chronic conditions and diseases, including some cancers, heart disease, diabetes and depression.

Walking is free, accessible, and one of the easiest ways to get more active, lose weight and become healthier.

The NHS advice is to walk at least two and a half hours (150 minutes) of moderate-intensity activity a week. You can break this down into daily 10-minutes brisk sessions, which help you build stamina, burn excess calories, and make your heart healthier.

Moderate intensity means: your breathing is faster, your heart rate more rapid, and you feel warmer. A brisk walk is about 3mph; you can still talk but not sing the words to a song.

If you have a medical condition limiting your physical activity, please seek advice on exercising with a disability. If you have not been very active but can walk, increase your walking distance gradually.

Before starting, make sure any shoes or trainers you wear are comfortable, provide adequate support and do not cause blisters.

If you’re walking to work, you could wear your usual work clothes with a comfy pair of shoes and change shoes when you get to work.

For long walks, you may want to take some water, healthy snacks, a spare top, sunscreen and a sun hat in a small backpack.

If you start going for longer walks regularly, you may want to invest in a waterproof jacket and some specialist walking shoes for more challenging routes.

Some tips on making walking a habit and part of our daily routine include using the stairs instead of the lifts and walking to the shops when possible; walking part of your journey to work; leaving the car behind for short trips also reduces carbon emissions; walking the kids to school creates memories to cherish; do a regular or after-dinner walk with friends and family; walking while listening to music or a podcast can take your mind off the effort; and get a digital step counting device and set a daily target.

Bristol offers exciting walks, including parks, heritage trails, waterside paths, commons, woodlands, and nature reserves. Walking in a group is a great way to start walking, make new friends, stay motivated, and get to know the City and its history. Adding variety to your walks also makes it easier to stay motivated. Such is the richness of the Walks available in our beautiful city that every May, Bristol Walk Fest - a month-long celebration of all things walking takes place throughout—offering a wealth of in-person walking-related events and activities, self-guided walking routes and challenges. The future of our city will continue to involve conversations and choices. To help us better appreciate walk-friendly designs and other more ecological options, as we walk together, we connect with nature and, in typical Bristol-style, enjoy a festival too. Let’s get walking. ■

Ade Williams’ portrait as taken by acclaimed photographer Rankin