News: Gala boss aims for further growth

Rotherham-based Gala Tent has shown double digit growth for January 2019, despite the continued uncertainty around Brexit.

Founded in 1999, Gala Tent is one of the UK's leading producers of marquees, tents and gazebos. It has grown to sell over 15,000 tents and marquees each year, along with around 100,000 event accessories and furniture products. It grew from a table top operation in Grimethorpe to a company with a turnover of £10m having moved into new 53,000 sq ft headquarters at Fairfield Park in Manvers in 2011.

Jason Mace, founder of Gala Tent (pictured second left receiving the latest award), said: "We believe our recent growth is mainly down to trust amongst our many clients, that we are a strong brand producing quality products for the event industry."

Gala Tent has successfully maintained its relationship with several international distributors for its products in Ireland, Belgium, Slovenia, Spain, Malta, Iceland and Holland. With more ambition of becoming an international player in the Marquee business, Jason is hoping to expand on this and gain further distributors around Europe and eventually the rest of the world.

Jason added: "Expansion is the key to Gala Tent's success, tapping into countries we hadn't previously sold in provides us with a wider market to supply to. We hope to become a serious European player in the marquee business over the next few years, with a showroom in every country on the continent."

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On Brexit, Jason said. "I don't see a problem with Brexit. For me, in business there is always a positive in any situation. If you're looking for the negatives, then of course you will find them. I believe there will be a lot of commercial opportunity after we leave the EU, even if there is no deal reached, and I fully intend to grab those opportunities for my business."

The past 12 months have also been fruitful for Mace's other business interests which include the Gala Performance brand, which supplies the Motorsport sector, recording an impressive 95% year on year growth, and holds high hopes of similar growth in the new year. Gala Graphics, which produce wide format print and promotional work, are also expanding in to the branded clothing market this year.

Gala Technology has also seen major traction with SOTpay, a unique payment transfer system which uses a series of rigorous card and customer checks to prevent fraudulent transactions from taking place. The award-winning technology has recently been paired with Cardstream, the UK's largest independent provider of white label payment software and services.

Mace also found time to save the iconic Empress Building in Mexborough.

Gala Tent website

Images: Gala Tent

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News: Gala Graphics on course to achieve a £1m turnover

Gala Graphics, the Rotherham-based graphic design and promotional print specialist, is on course to achieve a £1m turnover, just four years after it was established.

After doubling its income in 2016 and 2017 and securing a number of major new contracts with businesses including Company Shop and FlexSeal, Gala Graphics is once again expecting to double its turnover this year.

Gala Graphics has recently experienced growth within the motorsport sector – a key sector serviced by its sister company Gala Performance. As a result, the company is now looking to appoint three new members of staff within its sales team this year and extend its product range to meet increasing demand.

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Glen Robinson, managing director of Gala Graphics, said: "It has been a fantastic few years for the company. Our ongoing success is due to our commitment to employ highly skilled people and consistently invest in our equipment and services. We’re all excited to see what the future holds for Gala Graphics as we continue to break into new markets."

Gala Graphics specialises in producing high quality, bespoke promotional products such as banners, flags, roller banners, cafe barriers and exhibition stands and walling solutions.

The company is based in a custom-built facility in Manvers, which allows the team of experienced designers and print technicians to work side by side, serving customers from around the UK and the rest of Europe, on both domestic and commercial levels.

Gala Graphics is a division of Gala Tent, a company with over 17 years' experience in design, manufacture and supply of marquees and gazebos to the events industry.

Gala Graphics website

Images: Gala Graphics

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News: Rotherham to host youth market

Young entrepreneurs are being given the opportunity to test the market later this month as a dedicated Youth Market takes place in Rotherham town centre.

The National Market Traders Federation (NMTF) is running a nationwide competition that celebrates young entrepreneurs trading on our markets, festivals and fairs.

Markets are low-risk, affordable, and flexible platforms to test out, launch and grow a business and young people aged 16 to 30 from the UK can apply to trade at one of the heats - including Rotherham on May 26.

Traders will be chosen to go through to trade at regional finals (Yorkshire's is in Leeds on August 1) and potentially at a National Youth Market in Stratford-upon-Avon on August 31 and September 1.

Prizes for the Young Trader of the Year include £500 cash, one year's free NMTF membership and a trophy. Four Highly Commended awards are up for grabs, which includes £100 cash and one year's free NMTF membership.

A spokesperson for the NMTF said: "The NMTF is helping to coordinate the initiative through the Yorkshire Markets Forum. It is a collaborative approach to nurturing young talent in Yorkshire, advocating market trading as a business model, and encouraging the next generation of entrepreneurs to trade in the region's traditional retail markets."

Last year's Young Trader of the Year was Rose Dyson, 17, from Barnsley, who runs Pura Cosmetics.

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The Rotherham event will take place during the 2018 Love Your Local Market campaign, the fortnight that shines a national spotlight on markets across the country.

Led by NABMA (the National Association of British Market Authorities) and supported by both the markets industry and government, the campaign was started in 2012 following the Portas Review. The recommendations called for a National Market Day, which soon developed into Love Your Local Market fortnight, which now takes place annually in May and has become an international movement spanning 24 countries.

Taking place from May 17 - 30, this year's global theme is "Markets: Close to Your Heart."

Jake Berry MP, Minister for High Streets, said: "Love Your Local Market reflects markets as part of the historical fabric of our communities and that they have an important role in their future. Like our town centres and high streets, markets are rising to the challenge of attracting the modern consumer, becoming more community and partnership focussed and adapting to today's technologies."

Gala Graphics, the Rotherham based graphic design and promotional print specialist, is showing its appreciation for independent market traders as the Official Supplier of Merchandise for the Love Your Local Market campaign.

Glen Robinson, managing director of Gala Graphics, said: "We are strong believers in supporting local markets as they are the lifeblood of many towns and cities. We are proud to be supporting the Love Your Local Market campaign and hope as many markets in the UK as possible will get involved. The promotional merchandise just goes to reinforce the message that we should all feel pride in our markets and support them whenever we can - and particularly in this special week."

Rotherham Markets Facebook page
NMTF website
NABMA website
Gala Graphics website

Images: NMTF

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News: Gala Graphics invests to keep more work in-house

Gala Graphics, the Rotherham-based graphic design and promotional print specialist, has introduced a new in-house dye sublimation printing service as part of a recent £75,000 investment in new equipment.

Gala Graphics is a division of Gala Tent, the Manvers company with over 17 years' experience in design, manufacture and supply of marquees and gazebos to the events industry. The sister company offers vast printing capabilities, providing anything from a business card to banner flags, full branding packages and bespoke printing orders as well as a variety of accessories.

With the latest investment, Gala says that it will be one of only a handful of print companies based in the UK who are able to offer this specialised service, which often has to be outsourced to businesses in other countries, such as China.

Dye sublimation printing uses heat and pressure to transfer high-quality images onto a variety of materials including fabric, plastic, metal and wood. The process relies on a specialised ink, which when heated changes from being a solid dye to a gas, without passing through a liquid stage. The dye is sublimated into the fabric, so cannot flake off and won't fade over time, creating a brighter, more premium finish compared to traditional processes.

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Glen Robinson, managing director of Gala Graphics, said: "We recognised that there was demand in the market for printing on specialist materials for a wide variety of industries including visual marketing, textiles and household.

"As we can now carry out dye sublimation printing in-house this means lead times are significantly reduced. As a result we expect this new service to attract further business from across the UK and Europe, which will create more employment opportunities for local people."

By purchasing this new printer, Gala Graphics can offer a more premium finish on all of its products, whilst also being able to print onto the most delicate of fabrics. The dye sublimation process also offers unlimited colours to choose from as the new technology has the capabilities to produce any pantone required.

As part of the £75,000 investment, Gala Graphics has also upgraded its solvent printing capabilities with the purchase of a new Roland TRUEVIS 640.

The company is based in a custom built facility in Rotherham, which allows the team of experienced designers and print technicians to work side by side, serving customers from around the UK and the rest of Europe, on both domestic and commercial levels.

Gala Tent Ltd is the UK's leading distributor of marquees and gazebos and has grown from a table top operation in Grimethorpe to a company with a turnover of £10m having moved into new 53,000 sq ft headquarters at Fairfield Park in Manvers in 2011.

The ambitious firm announced that it had secured £3.6m of funding from HSBC to back its growth plans at the start of 2016.

Gala Graphics website

Images: UKSE

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