p54,55 PremierPASSED:p52,53 Premier.qxd 16/12/2008 14:51 Page 5452
COMPANY PROFILE
Taking care of business
Contract and commissioned embroidery firm Premier Embroidery provides a no-
hassle, high quality service for its customers. We went along to find out how other
decorators could benefit from what the team has to offer
H
ave you ever said ‘yes’ to an embroidery job screen printers who are unable to do it themselves, newly married, we had a young baby and we
then realised you’ve bitten off more than or just lending a hand to the one-man-bands of the struggled to establish ourselves, waiting for the
you can chew? If so, then you’ll understand industry. phone to ring,” he says. Ian admits that they’ve
what a relief it is when you find a company like Ian and Deborah set the company up eight years had a few lucky breaks along the way, but says
Premier Embroidery – a friendly, family run ago in a small unit in Nottingham. The suggestion most of the success they are currently enjoying is
embroiderer based in Nottingham. actually came from Ian’s accountant, who knew due to customers knowing they can rely on Premier.
Run by Ian Widdowson and his wife Deborah, that Ian had an interest in textiles and who told him “And so, when we get new customers we tend to
Premier Embroidery offers a confidential and high the business was for sale. Like all businesses, things keep them,” he adds.
quality service to all its customers – whether this is were tricky to begin with, recalls Ian. “When we Customers are also drawn to the friendly feel
commissioned work for large brands, embroidery for started out we struggled for 18 months – we were that comes from Premier Embroidery being a family
run business. Aside from Ian and Deborah, one of
Ian’s brothers, Robert, is a machine operator, while
the other, Simon, runs Medway Clothing, a garment
supplier to the trade. Then there is Claire, the office
manager, and two other machinists, Gwen Patterson
and Claire Hobster. All three machinists have just
embarked on an NVQ training programme. “It’s
important that staff feel good about what they’re
doing,” says Ian. “This programme helps boost
morale and fine-tune skills and a happy workforce
ultimately leads to happy customers.”
Through word of mouth and recommendation,
Premier has expanded over the years, going from
having just one ageing Barudan machine in 2000,
Hard at work: Robert
to having a six-head Happy, an eight-head Happy
sets up some frames
and a single-head Happy machine. And last year it
| 54 | January 2009
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk
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