Richard North

Richard David North (Born 10 November 1966) is a British entrepreneur, innovator and businessman.
Early Life and Career
Born in Wolverhampton, his father Harry was a schoolmaster and his mother Wendy worked in sales. He attended the city’s Regis Comprehensive, passing 8 O-levels, but with mediocre grades and failing 2 A-levels. North enjoyed sport, playing rugby for school and for Wolverhampton’s boys’ team, but quit when by his own admission ‘everybody got too big and scary’.
At 16 he started a Saturday job in a gun shop, which gave him an interest in shooting. He went on to become a UK and international champion marksman. A millionaire by his late 20’s, he sold his first company Simmons (Europe) in 2001. In 1999 he founded Boysstuff.co.uk, a company that became a market leader in its field and at one stage was valued at well over £100 million. For a time he also headed the Brand Advantage Group, before acquiring the business and assets of Wow! Stuff.
In 2002 one of the company’s biggest sellers was the quirky ‘arse face towel’. An in house production, it shipped more than a quarter of a million pieces in the UK and USA. The ‘arse face towel’ featured in TV shows on both sides of the Atlantic and even found a place in the Australian Museum of Contemporary Art.
Wow! Stuff both invents and seeks out innovative products directly from inventors, which it licenses and brings to the marketplace. All of its products are imaginative, affordable and fun. They are manufactured in the company’s own overseas facility and then sold via an international distribution network, through major High Street retailers across the United Kingdom and in the USA.
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The company enjoys unique commercial partnerships with major brands such as; MENSA, BBC Worldwide Top Gear, Aardman Animations’ Wallace & Gromit, Natural History Museum, Science Museum, Puzzler etc.
Business Ventures
A highly focused and competitive businessman, in 1994 North founded Simmons (Europe) which he sold in 2001. In 1999, he founded Boysstuff.co.uk, which established itself as a market leader in its field, with a value in excess of £100 million.
A former international champion marksman, for a time he owned the world famous gun maker Webley & Scott. Whilst CEO of the Brand Advantage Group in 2001 he founded Wow! Stuff. Later he acquired this division of the business and is presently committed to its development. Key personnel at the company include; Scientists Dr. Graeme Taylor and Kenny McAndrew who joined the executive board in 2007.
North said, “At Wow! Stuff we acquire brand licenses, which gives us a really focused product development programme. We work with great brands. In fact the company’s positioning statement is, ‘Great Brands Brought to Life.’ Our portfolio is now 95 per cent licensed and five per cent own brand.
His latest initiative, the big screen in-store video technology, that we recently piloted in Harrods and John Lewis, allowing the change of content remotely from Wow’s HQ. This concept has already led to huge sales increases of 800 per cent per square foot.” North is a member of the Institute of Directors.
Personal Life
Richard North married Karen (nee Parkinson b.1969) in 1995. They live in the Midlands and also have other homes. Karen is the daughter of top British guitarist and songwriter Bill Parkinson (b.1945), who played guitar for many years with Tom Jones and even enjoyed a spell with Elvis Presley in Las Vegas.
Charitable Initiatives
North is presently developing a Wow! Stuff charitable foundation, which will focus on encouraging young inventors and help them to protect their intellectual property rights; patents, trademarks, design registrations or copyrights. Wow! Stuff currently donates toys, gifts and gadgets to individual schools and other needy and good causes.
He is always keen to develop creativity and innovative thinking, particularly in young people and in 2010, the ‘Wow! Stuff Awards’ will be launched. This annual competition will offer an opportunity for fresh ideas and inventions to become commercial realities that can be sold on the High Street. Royalties will be paid and North envisages that one day there will be an ‘11 year old’ millionaire inventor.
Sporting Pursuits
A former world target shooting champion, he also enjoys swimming and karate. He is a black and brown belt in karate.
Other Interests
A self confessed car freak, his first car was his grandfather’s Ford Fiesta, but he later progressed to a variety of high powered sports cars. In 2001 he was seriously injured in a car crash whilst driving a Porsche convertible. For a time it was touch and go as to whether he would lose both legs. The NHS worked miracles, saved Richard’s legs and he is now back to full fitness.
Recent Notable Business Achievements
Wow! Stuff
* National Business Awards overall Finalist 2008
* National Business Awards 3i Growth Strategy 2008 (Highly Commended)
* National Business Awards Marketing Strategy 2008 (Highly Commended)
* Winner, Smart Toy Awards 2007 & 2008
* Winner of the Licensing Awards for Innovation 2007
* Winner, Gift of the Year Awards 2007 (Highly Commended in 3 categories)
The company is in the running for several major awards in 2009.
Boystuff.co.uk
* Awarded ‘eSuperbrand’ 2003 (Superbrands Council)
* ECMOD “Best of the Best” awards; 2001 & 2002 & 2003 & 2004
* Hitwise Top 10 web site; 2001 & 2002 & 2003 & 2004
* Web User Gold Award
Richard North
* Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist 2004 (Arena Magazine)
Wow! Stuff is one of the UK’s fastest growing businesses, with turnover and profits increasing by more than 100% year on year since its formation.

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