Dundee-based Tradeprint said the fresh offering for Ireland was the result of customer demand. It is priced in euros and targeted at print resellers, print management firms, creative agencies and design studios.
The firm is owned by mass customisation giant Cimpress, which moved its ‘official entity’ office to Dundalk in 2019.
Tradeprint sales and customer success director and sustainability lead Anthony Rowell told Printweek the new site would also allow UK reseller clients to ship to the ROI.
He said setting everything up had been a complicated process, but being able to call upon expertise from within Cimpress had helped.
“Ensuring VAT and TAX was configured correctly was challenging to say the least and we have to work on future EU initiatives like EU Deforestation Regulation to ensure we comply with those EU rules, let alone the challenges created by the Windsor Framework,” he explained.
“I’ve been asked a few times from customers we serve in Northern Ireland if we are able to still serve that market – that’s a big ‘yes’ from us but I know some businesses are pulling out of Northern Ireland because of the complexity around shipping and customs rules.
“Post Windsor Framework made us think we should take the extra step and offer our services in the Republic of Ireland. When I first joined Tradeprint we also had responsibility for the Exaprint brand in the UK and Ireland – when we retired that brand in the UK we had to stop shipping to Ireland which was a real shame – we had some amazing trade and creative agency customers back then – hopefully we can start rebuilding those relationships again.”
Tradeprint has started off with a specific range of products including stitched and wiro-bound brochures and booklets along with other small format products aimed at print resellers, with plans to expand the catalogue to include large-format and promotional products in the coming weeks. It is also highlighting its sustainability credentials.
The firm has set up a dedicated customer support team for the new venture led by Grant Burness who heads the Tradeprint customer retention team, Bill Chrystal who manages inbound enquiries and Rowell.
“I’m staying very close to this as I’ve been keen to launch in Ireland for a few years. I also think there’s a great bond between the Scottish and the Irish that I want to build on,” he added.
Rowell said the firm would allow a couple of extra days for shipping from its Dundee production hub and for customs clearance.
It has launched the new service with a 15% discount offer.
The overall Cimpress group has sales of more than $3.29bn (£2.54bn). Tradeprint, which posted turnover up 19% at £17.43m for the year to 30 June 2023, is part of its $358,918 The Print Group division.
