Cobra Sport turns attention to worldwide exports

Article appeared in the Sheffield Star newspaper - Wednesday 18th November 2015

Rachel Jarvis is aiming to steer Cobra Sport Exhausts in a new direction after three successful years at the helm and export Sheffield-made stainless steel exhausts around the globe.

Cobra Sport is a family-run business - brother Peter is a director - which has grown turnover by 50 percent in the last five years and increased the workforce from 11 to 20. The company, based on Surbiton Street, Carbrook, was founded by Rachel's father more than 40 years ago to sell custom-built exhausts to petrolheads.

In 2004, Peter and Rachel started selling online and six years later invested in a manufacturing production line. It led to contracts to supply Subaru, Isuzu UK and Ginetta Cars. Now, Rachel is turning her attention to export worldwide.

She said: “We now sell the bulk of our products through business-to-business channels and are currently in talks to supply our exhausts to one of the world's leading motorsport suppliers. In the early days being a woman in a traditionally male-orientated world was very challenging and it took a while to be accepted. However, I have proved that I can be tough when I need to be, but also have the 'softer' skills required to encourage and motivate the workforce and take the business forward."

She added: “As well as having a busy career, Rachel, who recently became a Freeman of The Company of Cutlers, also juggles a hectic home life as a mum and step mum to a two-year-old and 12 year old boy."