Boom in sales a sign of the times for one busy firm (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Keighley company shows its mettle by exporting nostalgic product

7:55am Friday 14th May 2010 in Business By Chris Holland

Nostalgia is paying off for a Keighley business which is enjoying global demand for its range of hand-made enamelled metal wall signs.

The Original Metal Sign Company is regularly shipping signs – which can be produced singly or in batches of various sizes – as far afield as Australia.

Other key markets include France, Holland, the United States and Middle East countries such as Lebanon.

Breweries such as Skipton’s Copper Dragon and Theakstons are a growth area, with enthusiasts such as classic car clubs commissioning their own designs.

The signs are currently sold only through retail suppliers but the company is developing a commissioning arm to produce signs from supplied pictures, postcards and posters.

In February, a range of fridge magnets bearing images from the signs range was launched. Demand for these items, which were previously imported from China, has taken off quickly, with £10,000 of sales at the launch event. Both the signs and fridge magnets are made in the UK using British steel.

To meet demand, the company has invested in state-of-the-art sign-making equipment at its Royd Way headquarters. Its range of classic images from the early 20th century through to today has grown to more than 1,200.

Robin Milsted, managing director of The Original Metal Sign Company, a standalone division of print company Millprint, said: “We are currently achieving 25 per cent year-on-year business growth.

Demand has never been greater and it’s worldwide.

“In the memorabilia market, trains, boats, cars, motor cycles, buses and planes from the golden age of transport remain firm favourites with customers around the world.”

Among them are images of icons like The Mallard, Titanic, Spitfire and Concorde – even Routemaster buses and Massey-Ferguson tractors.

Retro-signs promoting products such as Bovril, Oxo, Brasso and Pear’s Soap and old ale and whisky brands are also popular.

The Original Metal Sign Company continues to commission work from Leeds-based artist Kevin Walsh, who produces accurate technical paintings with historical detail.

Mr Milsted said: “We are also targeting new market sectors, such as family butchers, bakers, greengrocers and other traditional businesses.

“Whoever said that nostalgia ain’t what it used to be is way off the mark as far as we are concerned!”

The signs business is part of an operation created in 2008 through a merger of two Keighley-based printers, Raiseprint Plc and Millprint, to form a business with a turnover of around £3million, and now employs more than 30 people.

Co-director Steve Bell said the business was now operating under the Raiseprint name. Having both commercial printing and the specialist signs businesses had helped it ride out the recession, he said. After a dip last autumn, trade had bounced back in December and held up in the first quarter of this year.

Mr Bell, who founded his business in 1981, said the merger had worked well for both firms.