Managing director Michael Barter said that the rollout of new facilities was “well ahead of schedule” as originally the Edinburgh office wasn’t due to open until the new year. It opened its doors to customers at the start of the month.

The hubs were first announced by Barter in July, when he also appointed Graham Carlin, a former Robert Horne director, as general manager of Blake. They will act as extra sales arms in addition to the pre-existing sales department in Blake’s Yeovil head office. 

Edinburgh is the location for the first of four planned hubs, with the other three, in London, Leeds and Manchester, due to be rolled out one at a time in the first three quarters of next year.

The London facility will be the next to open. 

The Edinburgh opening was fast-tracked due to Barter being speculatively approached by former Eagle Envelopes employee Dario Valente. Barter believed him to be the “perfect fit” for the role.

Valente will have around three employees working for him at first, with leeway to appoint more if the facility shows promise in its first few months.

“The reason behind this was the fact that even though Yeovil is a lovely part of the world, we have to accept that we are quite a long way from where the activity is in the city and in particular we are two hours away from London,” said Barter.

“On top of that our other desire has always been to get in top talent, particularly with market expertise, and unless they have relations in this part of the world they are unlikely to relocate to Yeovil.

“The hubs will primarily be acting as a sales function but should also give an area of expertise in our field, so it’s not only just selling bits but also providing solutions. We want to be the go-to expert in the field of postage and packaging.”

Blake, which has a separate warehouse close to its head office, employs around 60 staff and has a turnover of around £24m. Further announcements regarding the London hub will be forthcoming in the new year.