Export Max Success Story: Wynlee Distributors

With Jamaica boasting world class sprinters, ground breaking bobsledders and outstanding cricketers and footballers, it is no doubt that the sporting industry is big business. For 22 years Wynlee Distributors has ensured that the island is well represented in the creation of quality uniforms for a variety of sporting activities. 

Wynlee Trading produces a wide variety of sportswear for top athletes as well as aspiring ones at the club and school level or for those who just want to keep fit.  Winsome Halliman stands proudly among some of Wynlee’s products.

“What’s special about Wynlee is that we’re open and flexible: we design and create uniforms with the style and colours that our clients want,” says Winsome Halliman, CEO of Wynlee Distributors. “Teams want uniforms that reflect their institution or team colours”, she adds. In the early days the company focused on the local market, with the hope of one day expanding beyond the borders of their home ground. Then five years ago Wynlee visited the JAMPRO offices for help in expanding their business into the overseas market, realizing that export was vital to the company’s survival.  Uncertain as to how to approach the export market, Wynlee soon found themselves in capable hands.

Wynlee Trading  increased their export sales by 60 per cent as a result of their participation in Export Max, earning them the trophy for Highest Growth in Export Sales.  Winsome Halliman receives the award from JAMPRO President, Diane Edwards.

Halliman explains, “JAMPRO set up a structure for us, and when Export Max came along we were invited to apply, and were selected.” It was a game changer for Wynlee. “They taught us the importance of quality and assisted us in getting into the export market: we benefitted from consultancy, developed marketing plans and went to trade shows in Trinidad, Barbados, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and China.  When we were falling, the consultants pulled us up.  We learned the importance of social media, and our export business has grown in the last two years.”

 JAMPRO’s Export Max helped Wynlee Trading to increase their export sales by 60 per cent in 2013. Winsome Halliman checks her mail for new orders.

Now Wynlee has expanded into the Caribbean and as far afield as New York. Teams in Cayman, the Turks and Caicos Islands and Trinidad are sporting Wynlee creations on the field.

Throughout the years Wynlee has learned that since they can’t compete on price, they have to offer their customers specialized design and quality products. For the next five years they plan to move into new export markets, beginning with additional Caribbean countries. They want to improve the quality of life of their employees, who are the backbone of the company’s success. 

Wynlee Trading acquired machine embroidery equipment through the technical support of JAMPRO and its partners. This equipment  allows them to offer their clients customized embroidered logos and other designs.

Winsome Halliman is reaching out to financing companies to make it easier for small and medium sized companies to access capital for their businesses. To companies who want to improve their export capacity, she says: “Apply to participate in Export Max II.  You have nothing to lose, and a lot to gain.”

For more information on Export Max I and Export Max II, click here.