Clerkenwell-based Zone, which is currently in its fourth week of operation, will target ad agencies and publishers in the short term as it focuses on establishing itself in the marketplace.

Hobbs said: “We’re starting off with reprographics, but we will move into creative retouching, online and possibly others, as we go along. It’s a case of working to our clients’ demands and requirements.

“We’re in no rush to become a huge company – we’ll take our time to fulfil our strategy. What we would like to do over the long term is grow the number of services we provide to clients.”

Hobbs will take responsibility for management and sales at the start-up while ex-Admagic boss Huntley, who was also production director across the Vertis group, will take charge of technical and production aspects.

Baker, who recently left a sales role at Wyndeham Pre-Press and was previously sales director at Electronic Solutions, will head up sales and customer service. All three are partners in the firm.

Hobbs, who was chief executive of Electronic Solutions when it won PrintWeek’s Pre-press Company of the Year in 2002, said that the timing was now right for pre-media launches.

Hobbs said: “Thirty years ago, repro was very much a cottage industry, but over the past 10 years or more that has slowly evaporated. There are very few suppliers in this arena that clients can talk to anymore and we feel the market at present needs more choice.”

---

ZONE
Based Clerkenwell, London
Employees 6
Partners Steve Hobbs (management and sales), Andy Huntley (production and technical), Dean Baker (sales and services)
Services Reprographics, creative retouching
Clients Ad agencies, publishers