Inventor of celebrity-favoured baby changing bags Jacqueline Waggett talks to KATE WILLIAMS about her business and family relocation to Devon
Only a mother (or a father) can appreciate the genius behind the design of the PacaPod. It is a bag for all, and I mean all, of your baby-changing requirements and the woman behind the idea is bringing her business to Devon.
Jacqueline Waggett. Mother, inventor, designer, businesswoman. She has built her highly successful UK brand in Manchester and is now moving it all to Barnstaple to enjoy the region’s outdoor lifestyle with her family and to expand her company.
Slung over the shoulders of celebrities such as Nell McAndrew, Tamzin Outhwaite, Peaches Geldof and Ben Fogle, the multi-award winning PacaPods have become a huge success for Jacqueline, who is now sharing that business with the county.
The move comes after she was smitten with the region whilst on holiday.
“We’d visited Croyde a few times and fell in love with the area,” Jacqueline explains. “One day, we thought, ‘Why don’t we move here?’ It’s still hard to believe the beach and all this gorgeous countryside is on our doorstep.”
In return for a change in lifestyle and all that gorgeous countryside, Jacqueline brings her leading brand and business to the Devon economy.
“We are settled into the new office on the High Street in Barnstaple and are recruiting for more sales staff. We have new products in development, increasing worldwide distribution. It’s an exciting time.”
One of the UK’s leading baby changing bags and voted Mumsnet’s favourite bag for three consecutive years, PacaPods feature an ingenious design, comprising a unique baby organisation system offering three bags in one.
An outdoor clothing designer, Jacqueline worked for many well-known high street names, including Reebok, before she created her own brand.
Her ‘Eureka moment’ was when she was cycling around New Zealand with her partner, Dave Greer. Jacqueline adapted her bike pannier into compartments making travel gear easier to pack and retrieve.
Then later, as a busy working mother, she grew tired of rummaging in her bag to find essential baby items.
Winners of a host of prestigious industry and consumer awards, PacaPods gained rave reviews in the Sunday Times Travel magazine, national press and in-flight publications and each of the bag designs are named after places Jacqueline visited on her worldwide trip.
Sheturned down the opportunity to appear on BBC show Dragon’s Den and opted instead to pursue her business idea under her own terms. Starting in 2008 with one simple design, which was immediately snapped up by retail giant John Lewis, the brand now has 11 different styles plus a wide range of extras.
Jacqueline established a thriving office in Manchester but with her business ready for expansion she and her partner Dave decided the time was right to make the move to the Westcountry. Her home and business life adventure now continues in Barnstaple. For more information visit pacapod.com. n
