Making it big

A giant rugby ball has helped raise the profile of a quietly successful North Devon sports manufacturer

Until a few weeks ago the name of rugby equipment company Aramis was not very well known in Devon, even though this giant of the sporting world has been based in South Molton for several years.

That changed this autumn when – in a dramatic piece of marketing – a helicopter touched down the world’s largest rugby ball, created by Aramis, in the North Devon town’s main car park.

Adjudicators from Guinness World Records confirmed that the 5.98 metre long and 3.7-metre wide ball had smashed the previous record.

The stunt, coinciding neatly with the start of the Rugby World Cup., was part of a campaign to make Aramis better known.

The company, run by husband and wife team Vikas (Vic) and Roshina Mahajan is already a prolific manufacturer and supplier of rugby clothing and equipment.

Many people associated with grassroots rugby will already know the name; ‘Aramis’ is likely to be on the label of their kit, or stamped on their training equipment. But to the public at large Aramis remains relatively unknown.

Even inside the world of rugby, few know that Aramis has designed and manufactured clothing and equipment for some of the largest retail traders in the sport.