Print Hub Global went live this month. It is helmed by managing director Chris Kelly, who was previously sales and marketing director at Hollywood Monster.
Ryan Keeley, who was senior print and visual operations manager at Arcadia Group until October, has joined as director of retail operations.
Keeley worked at Arcadia for more than seven years, and prior to that held print buying roles at OfficeTeam, HH Global and Pitney Bowes.
Richard Pegler, the founder of The Media Connexions, becomes strategy and development director. His background is in developing sales and marketing strategies for live events and media.
Mark Gregory, formerly a senior account manager at Adare International, has also joined as European account manager.
The business is a sister company to Hub Global Group, which supplies hygiene products and PPE. Its chief operating officer Steve Lewis will handle group operations and finance.
Print Hub Global pitches its offering as “changing the future of print”.
Its services, which are free to buyers, includes consultation, procurement & buying, surveying, project management and logistics.
“It started from me personally doing it, and has developed into an actual business,” Kelly explained.
“It’s not about lifting prices. We earn our money from the business development allocation within the printer. It’s important that we have good, strong relationships with suppliers.”
Kelly said that the firm’s expertise added value to end customers and print suppliers alike, and would plug the gaps that have been left on both sides of the equation where individuals and sometimes entire teams have been laid off due to the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Kelly himself was made redundant from his role at Hollywood Monster.
“This business has been formed by hard work and entrepreneurial spirit at a very difficult time,” he stated.
“After months of hard work we found ourselves with the opportunity to formalise the concept and stand up the business, one of our founding values is our aim to protect jobs and businesses through our unique, impartial and transparent approach to print buying.”
Kelly described the offering as “no risk sales for the printer’ while providing “a very open level of service to the buyer.”
“We don’t want to be involved in a race to the bottom, because we want printers to be able to reinvest. We've had a lot of positive response so far and I think we have a unique offering.”
Print Hub Global is targeting customers with a spend of £2,000 a month upwards, or that need help with sizeable one-off projects.
The business is already planning to add to its team, and is recruiting for account director and account management roles, as well as a director of sports operations.
