2 in 1 Booster Seat & Suitcase

About

As more and more travellers organise their own holidays via the web and budget airlines, the need for convenient, low-cost car hire has boomed. And, as every family that has ever tried to travel with small children knows, so have the charges for ‘extras’ such as child seats. With the cost of a single car seat hire amounting to anything between 14% and 48% of the cost of the hire fee, this is an ‘extra’ that can really bump up the cost of a family holiday. Add to that the fact that, in some parts of the world, the seats aren’t the newest and often fail to offer comfort to parents and one has a situation where many consumers are paying far too much, frequently and repeatedly. Basic booster seats cost between £8 and £20 in UK retail outlets at present. To design, produce, market/sale a unique roller travel suitcase for children that converts to a legally required & Safety approved "booster seat", for the full statutory age group. The suitcase will act as travel storage with a telescopic handle and carry strap. It will have storage volume of 11L to accommodate clothing and toys. Once placed in the car seat, two release buttons will allow the pop up seat belt guides to engage turning the suitcase into a booster seat. To add further benefit the CarGo Seat® will also be used by children in aircraft seats, assisting parents with reduced stretches into overhead aircraft storage and reduced costs on low cost airlines. It will also assist the airlines with increased overhead storage availability. By offering a booster seat that goes beyond the normal limitations, is transportable and has additional uses, the company believes that it can deliver a premium product into the market through direct and eventually established distribution channels and build brand identity and recognition that will allow it to develop a range of offerings (see 4.4 Key Opportunities) in the child products sector over time. The company is currently seeking early stage investment that will provide it with the working capital required to allow it to complete the product development and have a product suitable safety testing, sales and marketing and production ready along with pre-manufacture MOU’s. The Team Gary Burns (Founder & Director) - The inventor of the innovative Cargo Seat product, Gary has taken a career break from his Senior Management role in the public sector to focus on launching the business. Iain Morrison (Seed investor Director) - Iain is an MBA qualified, versatile and highly successful professional with over 20 years’ experience in strategic business development roles focused around operational effectiveness and sales. Prof John Anderson (Director) - A highly regarded specialist in entrepreneurship and business development in Scotland, John is an experienced growth company non-executive Chairman and Director, and is Chairman of the Gabriel Investment Syndicate, which provided seed funding to the company. Ray Bruen (Mainetti Plastics) - Ray is acting as the conduit between Cargo Seat and the company that will manufacture the products. Mainetti are an injection moulding company with a factory in the Scottish borders, and are project managing product development, including using their Chinese contacts to provide the manufacturing moulds. With access to 34 factories worldwide, Mainetti are the ideal global manufacturing partner for Cargo Seat. Clare Burns (Company Secretary) - Clare has used her 23 years public sector experience to provide essential support to Gary throughout the product development and pre-launch period of the business. Dave McCausland (Brand Manager) - Dave at Saint Serif developed the logo and brand of CarGo seat with a key emphasis on Brand quality and continuity. The Market Any families who have travelled with children know the huge challenges that wait. Far beyond ‘are we nearly there yet?’ are matters such as affordability, safety, planning, boredom, convenience and so on. Children require special care and attention and their safety is paramount. This fundamental need of the travelling family is exploited by hire companies who usually charge for booster seats on the basis of what the market will bear rather than with any regard to their own costs or the concept of service provision. The style of booster that is usually supplied is the cheapest pre-moulded plastic with loose canvas or cloth covers that have seen considerable service. With a buy-in price of a few £ per unit, each seat is commonly covered, by the rental company, through the first day of the hire. The ongoing income, which can range between 12% and 48% of the cost of a week’s hire almost amounts to a penalty for a family of 4 and could increase the cost of a two week holiday next summer in Spain by up to £136, in Germany by up to £120 or in Portugal by up to £170. There is the added problem that seats are not always available at the hire desk. Some hire firms won’t confirm availability at the time of booking (without direct contact with the local office) and even hold back the price quote: “Please note that requested equipment is not guaranteed. If you require confirmation, please check with the car hires company directly. Fees may apply at pick-up ” Source: Ebookers The result is that parents end up accepting this as an unfortunate cost of hiring a car and they either accept it or decide to avoid hiring a booster seat altogether, which is usually a painful compromise as it is both dangerous and against the EU.