WESTBURY-based beauty and nutrition specialist On-Group has welcomed a group of business visitors from Vietnam last Wednesday 29 May to celebrate its growing trade with the region.

On-Group’s Proto-col brand specialises in collagen beauty supplements and skincare. Products including Pure Collagen Capsules, Skin Plus and new Skin Radiance have been exported to Vietnam since 2013.

With growing demand for collagen beauty products across the Far East predicted to soar, export trade to Vietnam grew 66 per cent in 2018.

Lan Coles, On-Group’s lead distributor in Vietnam visited the company’s offices on Brook Lane to meet chief executive officer James Greenwell to discuss new product developments and to record promotional videos.

She said: “The use of videos on Facebook are a key part of how the Proto-col brand is sold in Vietnam.

“The brand has a big following that tune in to watch women talk about their skincare issues and to learn how Proto-col’s products have helped recover skin wellbeing.”

The visit by the Vietnamese delegation is part of a wider growth story for On-Group. Trade with Dubai commenced earlier this year, while a deal with home shopping channel HSE Italy got underway in April.

The company - which employs 23 people, and is constantly growing - already trades strongly with France where major growth has been achieved in the past two years.

Mr Greenwell founded the Proto-col brand in 2003 following a career as an elite athlete.

Competing in international modern pentathlon, James tore an Achilles tendon late in his career and collagen was instrumental to his recovery.

He said: “Proto-col is one of the world’s leading collagen brands. We have been at the forefront of developing innovative formulas and award-winning products for almost 16 years and our international relationships help us share our knowledge around the world.

“We are growing strongly and we are keen to recruit more people into our business to help us to build on the demand for our beauty and nutrition products.”

On-Group has created four new positions already this year: two new business develop managers joined the sales team and two new marketing executive roles are helping to communicate the brand in the UK and overseas.

Emile Bonnin secured one of the marketing roles in April following a successful internship from her French university.

“The size and diversity of our workforce is growing to reflect both overseas trade and new sales to the beauty sector at home.With so much uncertainly about international trade, we’re proud to be forging a positive way ahead.”