Our story
We started www.balloonace.com because we struggled to get affordable unique and high quality balloons from any stores based in the U.K. Each time we wanted to buy these balloons our only option was to use specialist balloon stores based in Europe or the USA. Whilst these stores are great, shipping to the U.K. was slow and expensive.
At the start of 2019 we decided that we wanted to try and make unique and high quality balloons more accessible and affordable to everyone (especially for people in the U.K.). Our desire to make these balloons more accessible to people eventually grew into an idea to open a 'specialist' balloon store.
Our store name, Balloon Ace, came about by accident as we searched the internet for inspiration. Fortunately, the legal Balloon Ace business name and website domain was available for us to purchase. However, setting up a legal business entity and buying a website domain did prove to be a little too easy compared to building an online e-commerce business.
We spent months planning www.balloonace.com and at times we wondered if it would ever come to fruition due to complexities around buying the balloons we wanted in bulk at affordable prices.
Initial discussions with manufacturers and suppliers was not easy as the type of balloons we wanted to stock are not typically sold in the U.K. and therefore the distribution network had not been fully established. We were told that Tuftex had not sold directly to a retailer in the U.K. in the preceding 10 years.
In addition, many of the balloon manufacturers and distributors only deal directly with large retail chains and have little appetite to trade with start-up companies who want to place "small" orders. It was apparent, from the start, that stocking any unusual and premium quality balloons other than the big name for professional balloons, Qualatex, would be challenging for us.
In March 2019, following a great deal of perseverance, countless emails, a great deal of negotiating and hours of talking on the phone we finally managed to set up a dependable and streamlined supply chain which would allow us to bring www.balloonace.com to life. With our supply chain set up and our orders placed we set to work building the www.balloonace.com website and developing the "Balloon Ace" brand through social media channels.
www.balloonace.com was officially opened in May 2019 and we were fortunate enough to have customer orders placed with us within a few hours of uploading our inventory. However, we are not complacent about anything which we do. We accept that Balloon Ace is new to the 'specialist' balloon retail market and that there are already many excellent online balloon stores established.
We know that our journey to promote the "Balloon Ace" brand and grow our customer base will not be easy. We will work hard for all of our customers to build the credibility of the "Balloon Ace" brand by providing a first class service whilst offering very competitive pricing across our entire balloon range.
We are always open to feedback and will always take onboard any feedback which we receive to the best of our ability.
Our goal is to be the leading, U.K. based, online balloon store selling unusual and high quality balloons at an affordable price to all of our customers (whether you are in the UK or overseas).
Since opening the website in May 2019 our customers have already benefited from:
- Receiving FREE balloons with their order
- Being able to buy low cost high quality balloons
- Having discrete, low cost and fast shipping (both U.K. and internationally)
- Saving money on future purchases by becoming a member of our Balloon Ace Rewards scheme
Whilst we sell balloons from a variety of manufacturers we are proud to say that since 2024 we have been one of Cattex's Official Retailers.
Our future plan is to continue to expand our product range to include even more high quality balloons and to continue providing an excellent customer experience.
The Balloon Ace Team (BAT) incorporates numerous talented "BAT brand ambassadors" (BATs) to help bring some fun to balloon communities and various social media platforms. Make sure you follow our social media channels to see our balloons in action.
As a balloon seller we are conscious of the environmental impacts of the careless disposal of plastic products. This is why our range is solely comprised of latex balloons which are naturally biodegradable.
To help promote an ethical and sustainable balloon industry we are proud to be members of the Pro Environment Balloon Alliance (PEBA) and the Balloon and Party Industry Alliance (BAPIA).
If you have a question about our product range, would like to see us stock any specific balloons or require any further information about us please send us a message using the contact us enquiry form below.
Thank you for reading our story.
Glen and Nicky
Imprint / Impressum
Balloon Ace (www.balloonace.com and www.ninetynine.red) is owned and operated by our company as listed below:
A Little Saxon Company Limited
Registered Company Address: 2 Brown Hill Close, Birkenshaw, BD11 2AS, United Kingdom
Company Registration Number: 11934825 (England and Wales)