Borders embroidery business creates 80 new jobs to keep up with online orders

Border Embroideries was awarded a grant from the Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Fund from South of Scotland Enterprise.It's enabled the Berwickshire based company, run by the Smillie family, to employ 80 temporary staff in addition to the 80 already employed to keep up with orders.

The business embroiders uniforms for schools, sports clubs and businesses across the UK.Watch Clare McNeill's full report here.

The business is experiencing its busiest spell ever. Currently, around 25,000 items are leaving the factory in Greenlaw every week.

Back in March however it was a different story. The Smillie family feared for the business’s future as orders dried up virtually overnight due to the coronavirus outbreak and lockdown restrictions.

“It was only a few months ago that we were sitting round the kitchen table thinking to ourselves what are we going to do here, this could finish us essentially,” Said Operations Manager William Smillie. “Luckily for us it picked up and it’s more than picked up in fact it’s better than it’s ever been so it’s great news.

The family run business was set up in 1989 by Billy and Shirley-Anne Smillie. It started with a single head embroidery machine.But 31 years on, it now caters for customers all over the UK shipping around 1000 orders per day on their website.

As well as Greenlaw, they have shops in Ayr, Dundee, Glasgow, Falkirk, Wishaw and Kirkcaldy.

Their three children Aynsley, William, and Ross also now have key roles within the company.

“In mid March we had to make the decision to close all our shops cause we weren't customers whatsoever," said systems manager Ross Smillie.

"The schools were closed and clubs and things were shut as well so all of our customers essentially were stopped.

“Even on our website there were days when we had no orders whatsoever so to be where we are now is brilliant.“We’ve had to put on a nightshift for shipping, packing, embroidering as well so it’s all go.”

Professor Russel Griggs OBE, chairman of South of Scotland Enterprise, said he pleased to help Border Embroideries during what is a challenging time for the economy.

“We understand this has been a hugely challenging time for many small and medium-sized businesses across the South of Scotland,” he said.

“And as the enterprise agency for the South of Scotland we are committed to doing everything we can to provide support wherever it is needed.

“I personally look forward to seeing Border Embroideries prosper, and I thank them for their individual contribution to their community.”