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Business feature: Evolve-ing print enterprise looks to the future
Evolve Branding staff pictured at the firm's Westwood premises.
WHAT do blockbuster film Avatar, Britain’s Got Talent winners Diversity and local brewer Oakham Ales have in common? They have all had promotional garments supplied by Peterborough company Evolve Branding.
Earlier this year, Evolve Branding printed 40,000 shirts for the launch of the Avatar DVD. The Woodston-based business has won a number of contracts via promotional distributors, and has also been audited by Disney and McDonald’s as a supplier. It has recently printed T-shirts for dance troupe Diversity.
Two of the company’s recent designs have proved highly successful. Its Twilight Raptor design won first prize in the multi-print and embroidery category in the 2010 Print-wear and Promotion awards. This was complemented by Oakham Ales’ Akhenaton design being highly commended at the same awards. These awards build on Evolve Branding’s 2006 experience where it won a European Fruit of the Loom award.
Evolve Branding started life as Conway Print & Design, a Peterborough print company that was run between 1989 and January 1991 by Gary Cotterell and his father, Gordon. Gary died in 1991 and Gordon asked Harvey Jeal, the current managing director, to have a look at the business.
“Through a contact, I managed to pick up a contract for 3,000 shirts for Allied Breweries,” said Harvey. “In 1992, a business colleague, the late Ian Bradshaw, suggested that we produce a Blue Moon T-shirt for the visit of Posh to Wembley and it inspired us to develop our promotional T-shirts business. There were three of us here at the time.”
Harvey went on the road “getting” business. It was in this period of the late ’80s and early ’90s as wholesalers were just starting off the promotional garment market that Evolve Branding, at the time known as Conway Print & Design, experienced steady growth. Turnover grew from £89,000 in the first year to surpass £1 million in 2008, and the company continues to grow today.
Key to Evolve Branding success is high quality print and embroidery work, using state-of-the-art machinery, the speed of order turnaround and highly skilled, long-serving staff.
Evolve Branding is moving forward, a business-to-business trade supplier where promotional clothing accounts for 80 per cent of its business, the balance being workwear and corporate branded merchandise.
It will also decorate its clients’ own garments.
The company has won orders for Peugeot/Citroen and produces garments for the Peterborough Beer Festival.
“It is time to push the boat out; to capitalise on our core business side,” said Harvey. “Business is picking up due to our drive to develop new sales.”
The premises at 20 Wainman Road, at about 13,000sq ft, is more than double the size of the previous site at Wulfric Square, Bretton. The extra space has provided a number of benefits, according to Harvey.
He said: “There is a better production flow and control and our larger warehouse gives us a far greater capacity for stock holding. Embroidery, which accounts for about 20 per cent of all work, is done via four, state-of-the-art embroidery machines which can produce a vast number of embroidered garments per day in up to 15 different colours.”
Harvey, who has run the business for about 20 years, is ably assisted by loyal and long-serving staff, headed by production manager Nigel Hill, who has been at the helm for 21 years. One of two account managers, Gareth Street has served 12 years with Evolve, while Carrie Mullard has more than 15 years’ experience in the promotional industry. Senior office administrator Marilyn Smith has seven years’ service, while top two printers Chris Allen and Chris Nightingale have been with Evolve Branding for about 10 years each. All staff are highly trained and incorporate procedures laid down as a result of the recent ISO9001 accreditation.
Harvey is upbeat about the coming six to 12 months, citing how the company is “revisiting what we do and how we do it.”
He said: “We are working smarter, more efficiently, and aim to have an online ordering system in place in the near future.
“To support our customers and keep up with modern trends, it is vital that we maintain quick turnaround to continue the growth of our business.”
n For more details, visit www.evolvebranding.co.uk
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