Partner Article

Investment takes HPM into new markets

A MARKETING, communications and print firm is set to break into a number of new markets after investing £350,000 in new technology.

HPM Group, based in Newton Aycliffe, is targeting broader opportunities in the healthcare, food retail, SME and even football markets following heavy investment and the appointment of three new directors.

The company’s new digital press will allow it to handle smaller orders or those that need to be personalised for each recipient, while its investment into a ‘perfect binder’ – that creates magazines with flat spines – means it can now service clients in need of high-grade publications.

The firm, which employs 53 people, has already worked with a number football clubs to produce increasingly glossy programmes, including Aston Villa, Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Leeds.

As it looks to grow its current annual turnover of around £5m by 10% in the year ahead, it is aiming to increase its national reach in the sector while also growing its PR division.

Director of marketing Tony Taylor, who is one of three new board members at the company, said: “We are now the only company in the North East that can offer perfect binding in-house and an increasing number of publications, such as football programmes, are becoming perfectly bound.

“The print market has been in decline and so seven or eight years ago we took a strategic review and decided to move towards becoming a marketing communications agency.”

The decision looks to have paid off with the company having now diversified into a number of growing markets. Alongside Mr Taylor, Chris Vass and Valerie Connell have also joined the company as directors.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .