A Little Success Story, Despite The Recession.

Aug. 15, 2012 - PRLog -- Here in the UK, we all know too well that we have been stuck in a recession for some time. In fact, figures show that a downturn officially started in the second quarter of 2008. Recent news also indicates no real improvement, with gross domestic product falling by 0.7% in the second quarter of 2012.

Many small businesses are finding it increasingly difficult to survive, let alone make improvements on its products whilst still making a profit. Not The Bea's Knees & The Cat's Whiskers it seems…..

They are a new, small business specialising in designing and producing personalised wall art. As one of the top businesses in their market, you wouldn't think they could get any better……well, they just have!

The business is operating in three distinct, yet profitable markets – print, personalised gifts and contemporary craft. Did you know that the British print industry is the world's fifth largest producer of printed products? This includes everything from advertising, newspapers, magazines, packaging, labels and of course, personalised gifts and art. Printing adds more relative value than any other manufacturing industry other than pharmaceuticals.

The UK print industry has an annual turnover of around £14.5 billion, gross value added of around £6.5 billion and employs nearly 150,000 people in over 10,000 companies. Even with the current economic climate, it still attracts hundreds of millions of pounds in capital investment.

The UK gift market is worth £10 billion per year and personalised gifts make up a large proportion. During difficult economic times, consumers are looking for added value. They still want high quality but more than ever, they want something that lasts and makes a long term impression. Personalised gifts mean that consumers are ticking both of these boxes. Personalised gifts are also memorable, unique and consequently, are often the best present for someone who has everything!

As for the craft market – it is estimated that there are about 30 million active and potential buyers in the UK. Over 90% of this market have or would purchase contemporary craft.

The founder and owner of The Bea's Knees And The Cat's Whiskers, Suzanne Thomas (who incidentally, named the business after her two daughters, Ursula Bea and Clara Belle – affectionately known as “Clara Cat”) says ; “I could see the strength within these sectors and the potential for such a business within the marketplace. Since the website launched in February 2012, it has gone from strength to strength. I have seen gradually increasing sales and I have also produced a number of private commissions for customers outside of the website, which is a direct result of word of mouth. This is always a good indicator that a product or service is popular and what consumers are looking for. I am about to agree terms with an on-line retailer to design exclusive prints for them, so I forecast further growth.”  

How has the business improved?
The canvas prints have been upgraded from a 340gsm to a 350gsm weave, making them even heavier and more durable. This is the same excellent standard that you would find in an art gallery or museum. Furthermore, a subtle laminate is now added to seal the surface of the canvas. This not only serves to give a very high quality finish, but more practically speaking, it makes the prints more hard wearing and easier to clean and maintain. You will be able to gently wipe dirt and marks from the surface without jeopardising the integrity of the canvas or the ink. Very few other similar companies in this field offer this sort of finish and as Suzanne points out : “This can only add to the value for money and desirability as we offer something that many others do not”.
Secondly, they are now using a chunkier 45mm deep profile, ultra-stable frame. This means that the frames are not susceptible to twisting or warping. This also means that they are also much sturdier, stronger and of higher quality. There is also a new, better and larger wall hanger attached to the back.

With all of these improvements, you would expect the cost to customers to go up, or the quality elsewhere across the range to fall. However, Suzanne is pleased to announce that no increase in costs will be passed on to her customers. “The pricing remains the same for the canvas prints and the same, high quality materials and processes are being used as before, across the rest of the range”

Looking after the environment :
Did you know that forest cover in Europe is now actually growing by approximately 120 billion square metres every year?! Only 11% of wood is used by the paper industry. Paper recycling in Europe is now at 67% and over 60 million tons is being recycled annually.

With increasing pulp costs and other contributing factors,  paper prices have increased markedly over the past couple of years, however, The Bea's Knees And The Cat's Whiskers still try to be as green as possible throughout the production process. Suzanne is keen to point out that “I understand that environmental impact is also high on a consumers’ consideration when it comes to making purchases and again, I want to stand out from the crowd and show that I also care. I want the business to be as green as possible, despite the higher potential costs. I want to keep quality as high as possible and this means that I do not want to cut corners and use a cheaper card”. As a consequence, the business only use FSC certified card so that customers can be sure it is from responsible, managed sources. It’s production causes less damage to the environment as it is elemental chlorine free. It is produced at a mill that is EMAS registered and holds an ISO 14001 certificate. This means that the mill is committed to continual improvement of it's environmental performance. It is fully biodegradable and recyclable.

Special Konica Minolta Simitri HD proprietary polymerised toner is used during the card printing process, which saves energy as it enables considerably lower fusing temperatures. This means that the process minimizes ecological impact. Furthermore, the production of Simitri HD generates around 40% less CO2 emissions than toner produced by conventional pulverisation.

The mouldings for the framed fine card prints are made out of a material called polcore. It consists of recycled polystyrene but it is very hard and durable.

So there you have it. With a little bit of vision, proof that a small business can succeed in the current economic climate. There is hope for us all!
If you would like to learn more about the business or see what they have to offer, visit their website : http://thebeaskneesandthecatswhiskers.co.uk/