Limmys sold over 1 million swim products across 3 continents with WorldFirst

12 people. 3 continents. One swimwear brand that families trust and kids love. Here's how a single swim vest became a global business, with WorldFirst keeping the money moving.

Open a free account

Limmys is a kids' swimwear brand owned by SL2 Group. It started in 2018 with a single swim vest and now sells swim vests, goggles, and swim caps, mainly through Amazon, to more than a million families across Europe, the UK, and North America.

E-commerce

12 people

1M+

families served worldwide

2018

founded, starting with a single swim vest

10 markets across Europe, UK and US

Introducing Limmys: a brand that jumped straight in

In 2018, Sean Lonergan and Lidija Kolenc had an idea for a product they knew would be a success. One skype call and several hours later they registered the company. Eight years on, Limmys is one of the world’s most trusted swimwear brands for children.

Their first product was a boys' swim vest with foam floats tucked inside. As a child gains confidence in the water, parents take the floats out in sets.

It was a hit from its first day on sale, so the team maintained the momentum. A girls' version followed and there are now seven designs in three sizes. Two years ago came a new range of four vests with adjustable straps and the Limmys range now includes goggles, swim caps, arm bands and head bands.

Germany was the target from day one, and it's still the biggest market. Today about 60% of sales come from Europe, and Limmys also sells to families in the UK, the US, Canada, and Mexico, with eyes on breaking into the wholesale retail sectors.

The numbers are impressive. The messages from parents are heartwarming.

We've had some amazing experiences where parents are writing to us saying, I can't believe the difference that your swim vests have made to my boy because he'll now go in the swimming pool and he enjoys himself.

Lidija Kolenc

Co-founder, Limmys

The challenge: payment tools built for the shallow end

Limmys does all of this with a team of 12, working remotely from the UK, Slovenia, and Cape Town. That small team keeps a lot of money moving. A family-owned factory in China makes the products. Warehouses around the world take in the stock and pass it on to distribution centres. Software subscriptions keep the business running. Each one needs paying, while sales come in through Amazon in euros, pounds, and dollars.

The founders had already seen what happens when those bills grow. In their earlier online businesses, they paid overseas the usual way: international transfers from their own bank, PayPal, and Alipay. While the amounts were small, so were the fees. As the businesses grew, the fees grew with them, and the banks charged a lot to change currency or send money to China.

Then a few people they knew with similar businesses pointed them to WorldFirst. One look was enough.

WorldFirst Business

Open the account Limmys runs on. Hold 20+ currencies and get cashback on card spend.

Free to open

The solution: set it up once, then get on with growing

So when Limmys launched, it launched on WorldFirst, with two products. The World Account is one multi-currency account that receives, holds, converts, and pays money. The World Card is a business card that spends from those same balances. Every rate and every fee is clear before a payment leaves, so the team pays and moves on.

Two people, every payment

Every factory, warehouse, and regular supplier is saved in the World Account, and the team schedules payments ahead. To pay an invoice, they update a reference number and hit send. That's all it takes, and it's why two people can run every payment for a global brand. Jon keeps watch on profit and financial performance, and Sean sends the money. Account data goes straight into Xero, so the accountants always have the latest numbers.

As soon as we realised how it worked, it was like, why are we doing it the old way? And yeah, we've done it this way ever since.

Sean Lonergan

COO and Co-founder, Limmys

Subscriptions on the card, invoices off the desk

Some costs belong on a card. In the founders' earlier businesses, those went on credit cards and other card providers, where transaction fees and poor exchange rates added to every one.

Now they go on the World Card, which spends straight from the World Account balances without those extra fees. The software subscriptions and standing-order bills have all moved across. Nobody pays those invoices by hand each month anymore, and every payment earns cashback.

The result: payments off the to-do list

Limmys earns in euros, pounds, and dollars and pays a factory in China. That's a lot of money to move, and it takes the team very little time.

95%

faster payment transfers to international suppliers

Paid direct from the World Account rather than through a remittance agency

90%

fewer payment delays

Restocks start on schedule instead of waiting on a third party

$420

in cashback in a single month

Earned on World Card spend across Google Ads and suppliers who take card

$15,000

in cumulative cashback

reinvested in inventory and marketing

35%

increase in global sales within six months

stock in place for the peaks that drive them

With payments sorted, the team puts its energy into growth, and there's plenty to go after. A new vest range rolls out this year. Limmys is also taking the brand beyond Amazon and into shops. A major US retailer has accepted it, with others to follow. Trade shows in Europe will raise brand awareness and help with European wholesale and launching on TikTok Shop in Europe and the US will help reach new audiences online who shop in less traditional ways.

Each new market brings new currencies and new people to pay. With WorldFirst, Limmys has the payment foundation to handle it all.

The kids' swimwear brand sells across Europe, North America, and beyond from a 12-person remote team. With WorldFirst, two people handle every payment, because each factory, supplier, and bill only has to be set up once.

The transfers are so quick now [...] that's brilliant from a factory's perspective because they're getting the money quicker, which means they can get on with the jobs quickly.

Jon Greenwood

Director of Operations and Finance, Limmys

The new vest range is rolling out this year, and Limmys is taking the brand beyond Amazon and into shops. A major US sports retailer has accepted it, and it is working towards distribution across around 12 South American countries. It is also talking to retailers in Europe, and Fiji may become its first market outside Amazon, through physical stores. Each new market brings new currencies and new payees, and with WorldFirst, Limmys has the payment foundation to handle both.

E-commerce

12 people

WorldFirst features used

World Account

World Card

Open a free account

Products in this story

World Account

One multi-currency account to collect, hold and pay in 20+ currencies.

World Card

A corporate card that spends straight from your account balances, with up to 1.2% cashback.

Earn £100 when you try the World Card.

Learn More

Login

Limmys sold over 1 million swim products across 3 continents with WorldFirst

10

markets across Europe, UK and US

WorldFirst Business

Products in this story

Limmys sold over 1 million swim products across 3 continents with WorldFirst

10

markets across Europe, UK and US

WorldFirst Business

Products in this story

Pay in 15 currencies with World Card, no FX fees

Enjoy zero FX fees when paying in the following 15 currencies with World Card.

Send money in 100+ currencies

You can send money in your WorldFirst account to any of the currencies we support.

Get Paid by 130+ marketplaces

Seamlessly get paid by 130+ marketplaces and pay your suppliers anywhere.

Collect money in 20+ currencies

You can collect money in 20+ currencies. It only takes a few minutes to open an account in the currency you need.