Trunki

Last updated

Trunki is a brand of ride-on/carry-on hand luggage for children, designed by Rob Law. The product became well-known after featuring on the UK television series Dragons' Den in 2006.

Contents

Trunki has won more than a hundred product and design awards, including several from Design Week , Progressive Preschool, Mother and Baby Magazine, D & AD, children's retailer Right Start, Practical Parenting magazine and the Nick Jr. television channel.

History

Magmatic, the company that manufactures the Trunki range, was formed on 5 May 2006.

Inventor Rob Law MBE came to public attention in 2006 following an appearance on BBC2's Dragons' Den programme in which panellist, Theo Paphitis, tugged and broke the strap of a sample Trunki. Dragon Richard Farleigh then expressed interest in £100,000 for 50% of the company, a suggestion which Law rejected.

In 2016 Trunki celebrated its 10th anniversary - Magmatic has sold more than 3,000,000 Trunki suitcases, in over 100 countries worldwide, through retailers including John Lewis, Argos, Harrods, Tesco and Next since May 2006.

A Trunki Suitcase Trunki 1.jpg
A Trunki Suitcase

More than 500 articles have appeared about the Trunki in the British media and several television programmes have since featured Rob Law, including Working Lunch , Beat the Boss , This Morning and GMTV . In June 2011 the Trunki BoostApak was featured on BBC 1's The Apprentice . It was taken to France for contestants to see and broke the record for boardroom orders with an order of €214,000. Following this, sales of the Trunki BoostApak quadrupled.

On 30 August 2008, Duncan Bannatyne, a panelist on Dragon's Den, appeared on ITV's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and when asked by presenter Chris Tarrant "Is there a sort of classic of one you've missed?" replied, "There is one, a little suitcase on wheels... every time I go to an airport I see one or two of these of these... it's the only one we missed out on I think."

Made In The UK

On 5 May 2012, the company's sixth anniversary, Magmatic expanded their production into the UK. [1] The first Trunki to roll off the UK production line was the Team GB Trunki, and the company claimed that by the end of 2012 all Trunki suitcases sold in the UK will have been made there too. All UK made cases will be stamped "Made in England".

The design of the Trunki is registered as a Community Design. On 3 November 2015, the United Kingdom Supreme Court started to hear a case over the extent of legal protection of the Trunki design. PMS International, a Hong Kong firm, produce a similar range of products branded Kiddee Cases. [2] Magmatic won the case in the High Court the lowest civil court in England and Wales in 2013, but it was overturned on appeal in 2014. The issue to be decided is "What significance attaches to the fact that a graphical representation of a Community registered design shows no surface decoration?" [3]

Product Range

Since launching their ride-on suitcase in 2006, Magmatic have expanded their product offering to include the following ranges:

ProductFunction
BoostApakBooster Seat That Doubles As A Backpack
PaddlePakChildren's Swimming Backpack
ToddlePakFuss Free Toddler Reins
EAT Range2-in-1 Lunch Bag Backpack, Drinks Bottles & Snack Pots
YondiNeck Cushion
ExtrasAccessories To Be Used With The Original Trunki

Editions

Trunki SuitcaseCollectionYear Released
TerranceOriginal2006
TrixieOriginal2006
Frieda (Cow)Animals2008
Tipu (Tiger)Animals2009
Harley (Ladybird)Animals2009
GruffaloLicensed2009
Bernard (Bee)Animals2010
Rex (T-Rex)Imaginary2011
Benny (Cat)Animals2013
Hello KittyLicensed2013
GeorgeSpecial2013
RosieSpecial2013
Bluebell (Horse)Animals2014
Boris (Bus)Transport & Vehicles2014
Frank (Fire Truck)Transport & Vehicles2015
Pearl (Carriage)Transport & Vehicles2015
Zimba (Zebra)Animals2015
Gerry (Giraffe)Animals2016
Una (Unicorn)Imaginary2017
Pedro (Pirate)Imaginary2017

Sources

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suitcase</span> Form of luggage

A suitcase is a form of baggage. It is a rectangular container with a handle and is typically used to carry one's clothes and other belongings while traveling. The first suitcases appeared in the late 19th century due to the increased popularity of mass tourism at the time and were meant to hold dress suits. They were originally made using heavier materials such as leather or steel, but, beginning in the 1930s, were constructed with more lightweight materials like plastic and cardboard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samsonite</span> Luggage manufacturer founded in 1910

Samsonite International S.A. is an American premium luggage manufacturer and retailer, with products ranging from large suitcases to small toiletries bags and briefcases. The company was founded in 1910 in Denver, Colorado, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baggage</span> Travelers accoutrements container

Baggage or luggage consists of bags, cases, and containers which hold a traveler's personal articles while the traveler is in transit. A modern traveler can be expected to have packages containing clothing, toiletries, small possessions, trip necessities. On the return trip, travelers may have souvenirs and gifts. For some people, luggage and the style thereof is representative of the owner's wealth and status. Luggage is constructed to protect the items during travel either with a hard shell or a durable soft material. Luggage often has internal subdivisions or sections to aid in securing items. Handles are typically provided to facilitate carrying, and some luggage may have wheels and/or telescoping handles or leashes to make moving them easier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theo Paphitis</span> British entrepreneur

Theodoros Paphitis is a Greek-Cypriot British retail magnate and entrepreneur. He is best known for his appearances on the BBC business programme Dragons' Den and as former chairman of Millwall Football Club.

Rachel Tanya Lowe MBE is a British serial entrepreneur and board games developer. She is best known for developing the Destination series of games, including editions for Toy Story, the London 2012 Olympic Games and Downton Abbey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Criticism of Tesco</span>

Criticism has been directed at Tesco from various groups, including national organisations, trade bodies, individuals, consumer groups and watchdogs, particularly since the early 2000s.

Reggae Reggae Sauce is a barbecue sauce that incorporates Jamaican jerk spice, popularised by creator Levi Roots' appearance on BBC Two's Dragons' Den, on which he used a song to sell his product.

<i>Dragons Den</i> (British TV programme) British reality television series

Dragons' Den is a British reality television business programme, presented by Evan Davis and based upon the original Japanese series. The show allows several entrepreneurs an opportunity to present their varying business ideas to a panel of five wealthy investors, the "Dragons" of the show's title, and pitch for financial investment while offering a stake of the company in return.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longchamp (company)</span> French leather goods company

Longchamp is a French leather goods company, founded in Paris in 1948 by Jean Cassegrain. The company pioneered luxury leather-covered pipes before expanding into small leather goods. Longchamp debuted women's handbags in 1971, becoming one of France's leading leather goods makers. Today, the company designs and manufactures leather and canvas handbags, luggage, shoes, travel items, fashion accessories, and women's ready-to-wear. The house is privately owned and managed by the Cassegrain founding family and does business in 80 countries through around 1,500 retail outlets.

<i>Destination</i> (game) Taxi-inspired roll-and-move board game

Destination is a brand of roll-and-move board games first published in 2004. In the original taxi-themed version, players compete as taxi drivers to acquire play money by moving from destination to destination across the board using dice. The game combines chance from rolling dice and drawing chance cards with a degree of strategic decision-making in planning routes and managing resource cards.

Beatrix Ong MBE is a London-based British luxury fashion accessories designer, known for her 'classic with a twist' shoes.

Kelly Elaine Hoppen is a South African-born British interior designer, author, and proprietor of Kelly Hoppen Interiors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Jones (entrepreneur)</span> English billionaire businessman (born 1966)

Peter David Jones is an English entrepreneur, businessman, investor, and reality television personality, with interests in mobile phones, television, media, leisure, retail, publishing and property. He is the last remaining original investor on the BBC One series Dragons' Den, and has appeared on other television programmes with similar formats including Shark Tank in the United States.

Rimowa GmbH, often stylized as RIMOWA, is a luxury luggage manufacturer. The company was founded in 1898, in Cologne, Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Approved Food</span> British discount food retailer

Approved Food is an online discount food retailer based in Dodworth, South Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom. The company retails products that are near or past their best before date or products that are considered difficult to sell by other retailers. It is the UK's largest online retailer for short dated and residual stock. As well as food and drink, Approved Food sells a range of household goods, beauty products, pet supplies and alcohol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mallzee</span> Mobile commerce company

Founded in 2012, Mallzee is a fashion mobile commerce company and shopping application. Its application allows online shoppers with a smartphone to access millions of products from over 100 fashion brands around the world. The mobile app was launched in September 2013 and uses a 'like' or 'dislike' swiping interface and has since been labelled as the 'Tinder of fashion', in reference to the Tinder app. In 2015, the application was launched in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Send My Bag</span> Northern Irish luggage shipping company

Send My Bag is a luggage shipping company from the UK that aims to allow travellers to transport baggage, claiming a lower cost than airline baggage handling fees.

Lancel is a French Maison of luxury leather goods, founded in Paris in 1876 by Angèle and Alphonse Lancel and developed by their son Albert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Away (company)</span> American travel and lifestyle brand

Away is an American luggage and travel accessories brand founded by Jen Rubio and Steph Korey in 2015 and based in New York City. Having raised $31 million in financing, Away is one of the highest funded female-backed startups.

Sara Davies is a British businesswoman, entrepreneur, and television personality. She is the founder and owner of Crafter's Companion, a company she started while a student at the University of York. In April 2019 it was announced that she would join the panel of the BBC television programme Dragons' Den for its seventeenth series, replacing Jenny Campbell who decided to leave the programme in early 2019. In 2021, Davies was appointed the North East Ambassador for Smart Works Newcastle, a charity supporting unemployed women into work through clothing and coaching. In July 2024, Davies was appointed Chief Inspiration Officer for Avon UK.

References

  1. "Trunki manufacturer moves production from China to UK". Channel 4 News . 13 May 2012. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  2. Kollewe, Julia (3 November 2015). "Trunki v Kiddee: battle over children's luggage reaches supreme court". The Guardian . Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  3. PMS International Limited (Respondent) v Magmatic Limited (Appellant)( UKSC November 2015), Text .