Happiness in a box
A hidden industrial estate in the north of Hastings is home to many fascinating enterprises. HIP paid a visit to one:
Treatbox was founded in 2014 by Zoe Charlton, a mum with small children seeking employment with childcare friendly hours. Her previous experience in hospitality and catering made this completely impossible, so she began the new business from scratch, initially in her front room and with just £30 capital.
Looking for a gift to comfort a friend, Zoe hit upon the idea of sending a personally created box of small presents, along with a card. Quickly realising she was onto something special, Zoe began sending them to others before taking the concept online and creating a business; to the extent that she now sends thousands of boxes across the UK and worldwide.
In addition to offering a variety of sizes and contents, including ‘personal pamper products’ and stationery, Zoe cannily created a subscription base of customers who look forward to a monthly box of treats just for themselves. According to Zoe, “delivering curated and personalised boxes filled with love and happiness to help create a better world one smile at a time.”
Paying close attention to presentation and detail, Zoe was determined to stay in control of the box contents, such as handwritten messages – time consuming to produce but adding a personal touch that’s a core part of the firm’s marketing strategy.
The Treatbox range has also diversified, adding Advent calendars (with 24 hand-wrapped presents) corporate clients, such as Costa, and a wholesale section.
As the company rapidly expanded, Zoe leased a small starter business unit on the Castleham Industrial estate from its owners, Hastings Council, who were “very helpful” and in 2020, when this was outgrown, moved to larger premises nearby.
During lockdown business boomed; unable to see friends and family, people sent cheery gifts, and Zoe and a single employee struggled to keep up with demand. Since then she has gradually increased her staff team to 10 people. All bar the designer (her partner) are women and there’s a strong emphasis on flexible working around childcare responsibilities, a team working ethos and looking after employees. “It’s important everyone is happy here,” says Zoe, “people want to come to work.”
From the start social media has been essential to the Treatbox business model. Initially using Facebook Marketplace (then free) before moving to a purpose-designed website. Subsequently the firm has developed a very active presence on Instagram and, most recently, Tik Tok, each with a slightly different customer demographic. In addition to frequently changing content (up to four times a day on Tik Tok) customers are keen to see the everyday working of the company, forming a close bond with the brand and replacing the personal contact of traditional retail by creating online relationships.
The Treatbox story so far might best be summarised as building a website, building a community and building a team. And it continues to grow…
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