Blog posts of '2018' 'March'

Good morning

If you have a look at the graph below you will see that the promotional products industry has now exceeded the 1 Billion GBP mark for the first time and inflation adjusted is back almost to pre financial crisis levels.

The following graph gives you a breakdown of where this money is being spent.

As you can see Bags bags the title for top product followed closely by pens and mugs as personaly I think the 'Plastic Giveaways' category is far too 'all encompassing'. Overall though quite an encouraging picture as it seems that businesses are once again investing in marketing materials and goods. Since that is the business we are in looks like a reason to smile for this year at least!!

Good morning

Just a quick blog as I'm away skiing at the moment. There are a couple people who have been branded the 'Bonnie and Clyde' of the printing industry as they have defrauded so many people out of so much money over the past few years. Their real names as far as we can establish are Neill Malcolm Stuart John and Clare Hunniset of Barry in South Walea. Mr John frequently uses a mixture of his full names when he contcts you. Their businesses also have various names including House Print, The Best Printer, The Book Printer, The Book and Catalogue Printer and UK Print. In every case they quote a very cheap price, take a payment in advance and then do not deliver either at all or typically half the quantity required many weeks after the deadline has passed.

There are so many people who, wanting to self publish their work, have been left bitterly dissapointed and considerably out of pocket. Please dont let yourself be added to the ever growing list.

It seems that listening to the weather forecast again this morning it is clear that this week won't be one for actually cycling outdoors yet again. The real problem with that is it means convincing myself to trudge away on my Turbo Trainer in the garage. Whilst I do have it set up so that I can listen to the radio while I'm spinning the pedals it doesn't stop it being interminably boring. Unfortunately due to my passion for drinking and eating if I don't do the cycling regularly I will very soon need to open both the garage doors to get in it!!

Lots of my fellow cyclists use computer programs like Trainer Road or Zwift to try and spice up the process of standing still on a bike. I am going to investigate these things for myself and I will report back my findings soon. 

Well that was a week from hell wasn't it! Fortunately for me I work from home and didn't have the need to venture out at all. The biggest sacrifice personally was to miss and evening out with my friends from the Beckenham Rugby Cyclists club due to worries about getting home given the parlous state of Southern trains at the time. I quite like Elmers End but the thought of getting stranded there is sub zero temperatures didn't fill me with glee. 

From a business point of view though the week was a bit of a washout. It does seem to me that the estimate from the government that the attrocious weather cost us £1 Billion a day is probably quite accurate. Hopefully though what didn't get ordered last week will get ordered this week, and with my garage no longer a deep freeze I might even get back on my Turbo Trainer!