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A high-flying boss with
down-to-earth values
Insider
Tell us about the origins of
Evolve Branding
It started out as Conway Print &
Design way back in 1989, owned
and run by my brother in-law and
his wife.
Sadly, he died of leukaemia in
1991, but I elected to take on the
company, which at the time was
producing mainly screen print on
painted panels for the electronics
industry.
Over the years, with the support
of an excellent team, our output has
expanded and evolved to producing
thousands of branded items of trade
to trade merchandise, all specifically
branded for their clients.
How did you go about
developing the company
In 2003 I decided to change the
name to Evolve Branding Ltd. This
was more than just a name change,
however – it was both an updating of
our image and a statement of intent.
It’s easy to fall into a trap of complacency
after running a successful
business for so long, and it is essential
to keep evolving in an extremely
competitive industry.
The name keeps that in mind.
We have also always believed in
investment in the company and in
state-of-the-art technology and of
course, you can’t run a successful
business without dedicated staff.
Does the promotional garment
trade bring its own, unique
challenges
Each job comes with its own
unique challenges, from initial quote
to garment selection and type of
decoration, then to finally producing
and delivering.
Harvey Jeal of Evolve Branding is one of the
best-known figures in the promotional
garments industry. In this interview, he talks
to PCD about his roots, his company and
his approach to business...
But there are always new challenges,
and it’s especially exciting
when you can contribute to the development
of technology as well as
benefit from it.
For example, 2007 saw us get involved
with Promoserve, a computer
program for the gifts industry which
was being adapted with our input for
the garment side of the industry.
Also, we do have a slightly different
marketing strategy for clothing,
which allows us to change each season
and tailor to the weather.
What do you regard as Evolve’s
USPs
Commitment to price (without
compromising our high quality print
and embroidery), reliability of delivery,
commitment to customer service
and our ability to supply quality multiple
colour screen prints.
Currently, what are your most
popular lines and why
It constantly varies. The most popular
lines are essentially whatever the
customer wants.
T-shirts are almost always up at
the top of the list, though, and orders
can be huge.
Because the building trade is flat
at the moment, builders’ merchants
have been looking for new ways to
promote themselves and one recently
ordered 54,000 T-shirts. I suppose
you could call that popular...
How do you see Evolve
developing from here
We recently purchased our own
building with a total of 17,000 sq ft
(having moved from 6,500 plus sq
ft) so this has given us scope for future
expansion, new equipment etc
while still keeping us located in Peterborough.
And, of course, we will keep on
top of new developments and technologies
so we can remain a market
leader.
How is Evolve going about
navigating the credit crunch
I don’t believe there’s any special
trick – the way to succeed in any
economic climate is to work hard for
clients, continuing to do what you do
best whilst remaining flexible.
What do you do to relax
It’s hardly relaxing but for the last
16 years I have been involved in
Scouting and trained Scouts how to
fly parachutes and paragliders. And,
of course, I fly myself!
Harvey loves to get airborne with a spot of paragliding
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