Two Coventry entrepreneurs are to expand their children's clothing business into a nationwide network.
Karl Kelly and Karen Armstrong, co-founders of Little Wish, are looking to open a further ten shops within the next six years.
The couple, who have just opened their second Little Wish store in Northampton's Grosvenor shopping centre, are looking to open a third outlet by August.
"Our suppliers have suggested that we take the Little Wish brand nationwide and we have been working with Coventry accountants Pilley & Florsham to help organise the finance," said 32-year-old Mr Kelly, who honed his entrepreneurial skills running a T-shirt printing business while still studying art and design at Coventry University.
They used loans from the Princes Youth Business Trust, their bank and family to open their first clothing shop, called Wish, eleven years ago.
Based in Hertford Place the shop sells designer clothes for adults, such as Diesel, Stone Island and Miss Sixty.
"After a slow start, things really moved forward and our suppliers suggested we branched out into children's clothes," said Karl.
Stocking designer labels such as Diesel, Burberry, Ted Baker and DKNY the sales grew around 20 per cent year on year and, in the first six months of 2005, leapt by 40 per cent.
"In Europe, almost every shop has designer children's wear but it's still not happening in the UK - the market is wide open."
