Published: Friday, 20th November, 2009 1:00pm

Ink supplier blots out the recession

by Alan Bunce

Comments (0) | Print | Email

PRINT cartridge supplier The Ink Drop may be a victim of recession but Adrian Pearce has turned that into an opportunity.

Adrian has run one of The Ink Drop franchises in St Martin's Precinct in Caversham for almost five years with the help of Andrea Medford, but last year the parent company went into liquidation and all eight of its franchises now have to find their own way.

They are all now rebranding to become independent suppliers of original and remanufactured ink cartridges, linked by the industry body they set up themselves - the Printers' Consumables Association.

Adrian said: "If they (one of the others) finds a supplier that is particularly good then that is something we all want so they can pass that on."

His customers range from one local man who needs rare cartridges for a word processor to a database of 500 small to medium sized businesses and a number of schools.

As an independent he plans to increase the number of schools, expand the retail section (a new line in pick 'n mix has already been introduced) and add stationery to the range aimed at businesses.

Next March the Caversham shop will rebrand as Ink-Ability and Adrian promises to keep the independent feel and personal service.

He said: "We like to keep in regular contact with our customers. It's very much part of our customer service plan."

Catherine Jackson who runs independent consultancy Franchise People said: "If you have established a good relationship with customers and a good reputation in your own right, then when this happens, it isn't necessarily such a bad thing."