Helmed by Paul Rowlett, owner and CEO of the B2B-focused EverythingBranded and Charles Alexander Distribution group of companies, EverythingPrinted will enable the B2C market to order personalised products printed with a custom design in quantities starting from one unit.

Rowlett said the aim of the business, which goes live on Tuesday (1 September), is to offer products ranging from printed mugs to unique party supplies with “an unrivalled turnaround time” for customers that want lower quantities.

The business will offer a free online design service, as well as the choice to order on account for a buy now, pay later option.

The new venture will be based at EverythingBranded's Leicester head office, where it will utilise fixed costs to help keep prices low for customers. Some of the work is being handled by the team already in the office, but the company has also hired two new marketing staff and two more hires are planned in support roles.

The business launch comes while Leicester remains in its local lockdown, which Rowlett spoke out about last month and said has been “a major blow” to the company's progress.

The event, trade show and hospitality sectors, which were shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, make up over 50% of the company's business, which Rowlett told Printweek pushed the launch of its new B2C venture forward.

“It's a natural evolution for the business. The exhibition market that we're in was decimated through Covid-19 and we needed to get a bit of a safety net for the business so we looked at moving into the B2C market, which was on our three-year plan anyway but this has accelerated it.

“Within three to five days [at the start of the pandemic] we lost £611,000 in cancellations and our funds flow was ruined for the UK business, but we flipped and sold a lot of PPE to some very established brands early on and that kind of kept the lights on.

“But rather than cut back on marketing, we increased it and started straight away within the first four weeks of lockdown. If we hadn't made the move quickly and cut our costs, we might have been in quite a lot of trouble as a business.

“But we pivoted and we've increased our marketing spend and our headcount in marketing to get this brand up and running faster than expected.”

EverythingPrinted is launching just in time for the festive market with a catalogue of just under 3,000 products. It currently outsources all production and has a trio of key suppliers on its roster but is looking to add more print partners.

“We're open to anyone who wants to work with us; as long as they've got the setup for digital, good customer service, and automation, we would love to have a conversation,” said Rowlett.

The company plans to roll out the initiative into the US in Q2 using its existing network and the team based in its Las Vegas office, although Rowlett said this could be impacted by travel restrictions to the US.

“Where we will also be able to offer customers something a bit different is that with the eight-hour time difference of our Las Vegas office, this gives our customers the ability to ring us from the UK at 10pm at night and we can give them extra service,” said Rowlett.

“Our team can take customer service calls up until midnight, which I think is a very unique proposition. When you speak to someone, rather than email, I think they buy into the brand.”

The company is also set to roll out a new e-commerce platform, EverythingBranded 2.0, in December, which Rowlett said will make the business more tech-focused, enabling it to offer customers a new user experience including joining and membership options as well as the ability to send them tailored ideas based on their profile.

The EverythingBranded group achieved a turnover of £23m last year and is anticipating sales of £24m this year, not taking into account the new B2C venture, which Rowlett said “is an extra string to the bow”.

The company currently employs 68 staff in Leicester and three in Las Vegas, down from a group total of 162 last October following a restructure at Christmas and the effects of the pandemic, which resulted in the business having to further reduce its headcount in line with demand.

It is now recruiting again and Rowlett anticipates taking on 13 more people in Leicester before the end of the year.