Top Gear gadgets give firm extra drive

It took off with a palm-sized, radio-controlled helicopter – and now the sky's the limit for a Wolverhampton-based gadget company that is launching an official range of Top Gear toys.

Wow! Stuff, based at Wolverhampton Science Park, has seen annual sales soar from £500,000 to £30million since its launch three years ago. Fresh from being named Business of the Year in Wales, the Midlands and East Anglia, it has secured a contract to market a set of Top Gear toys.

They are predicted by the industry to become best-selling licensed gifts this Christmas.

Richard North is one of the company's three shareholders, alongside Dr Graeme Taylor, 40, and Kenny McAndrew, 39, who all met at a gift fair in Yorkshire.

Former Regis School pupil Richard, 42, said: "We are all creative and come up with wacky, wonderful inventions during brainstorming. When we decide on an idea, it is my job to make it work economically, while they make it work practically.

"The palm-sized helicopter was our first major success, and it has gone from strength to strength since then. We have more ideas that we can put through the business but the quality and quantity have grown as the company has increased in size.

"We have a master toy and gift licence, which means we have exclusive rights to create a range of toys and gifts under the Top Gear brand. We approached the BBC alongside five other companies and pitched on why we could do the best job." The trio made their presentation at the London BBC offices. A total of 10 products will be made, increasing to 20 in the next year.

The goods will be sold by major retailers including Argos, Sainsbury's, John Lewis, WH Smiths and launch partner Debenhams in the next six weeks. They will also be available worldwide and on Amazon and Play.

The first batch of toys includes a glow-in-the-dark Stig keyring, a Stig stress doll, a mini Cool Wall with room for your own recommendations, a Some Say Stig doll programmed to say six of Jeremy Clarkson's quotes from the show, a radio car that can be steered by movement up to 40ft away, a rocket that can reach 1,000ft and the world's fastest radio buggy that travels at 200mph.

Richard added: "Our Top Gear brainstorms also involved people who work on the show because the BBC has to be very careful which products are used to represent its brands.

"You normally get 10 per cent of your products accepted and the rest knocked down, so we probably had around 100 ideas to start with. It's been a very hard 12 months – it will boost the company in the end."

Wow! Stuff now has 14 full-time staff based in Hong Kong, with an additional 21 at the Wolverhampton HQ and 150 part-timers joining throughout the UK during the run-up to Christmas.

The company is hoping to lift the UK title in the grand final of the National Business Awards this autumn. The competition is sponsored by Orange and is hailed as the Oscars for UK business.