Greener shoots sprout in Portsmouth print market

Veteran print VAR boss sets up expansive rival Green Box Supplies

Printware managing director Cameron Mitchell has departed the company to set up a new VAR, taking 10 staff with him.

The new reseller, Green Box Supplies, is like Printware based in Portsmouth but aims to offer something different in the somewhat staid office supplies and print market, Mitchell told ChannelWeb.

"Like with anything, we are trying to differentiate ourselves, and the way we plan to do it – as well as be competitive and all the things we should be – is to recommend environmentally friendly products to our customers," Mitchell said.

Now managing director of Green Box, Mitchell (pictured above) confirmed that the fledgeling VAR will resell offerings from a range of vendors, but do due diligence on products such that it is in a position to recommend greener products for specific customer needs.

This is in response to customer requests and feedback, he said.

"We will work with manufacturers to understand their most environmental options," he added. "Everyone aims to be the most competitive, and everyone offers next-day delivery, and we can do all those things, but we want to try to do something a little bit different."

Customers often want greener products and services but find it difficult to tell which is the best option for their circumstances, he said, particularly when Green Box alone already has 100,000 or so products in its diverse portfolio with which to target national sales.

Services and consultancy per se won't be offered "at this stage" although print audits are planned, he said.

The new firm began trading in February, has 12 staff including "nine or 10" who followed Mitchell out of Printware – and is already seeing positive growth.

"I'd taken my team across with me. So we're a senior team and I think we've got something like 200 years of experience," Mitchell confirms.

Independent, nationally focused Printware was acquired by office-printing group Danwood in October 2007, and Mitchell hinted that both he and his team had missed being able to steer their own ship.

"I think that when you're used to being small and agile internally, that sometimes when you're part of a larger corporate you can lose your way. Corporate governance is one thing, but sometimes the customer experience can be damaged as a result," Mitchell said.

Green Box is budgeting to do £2m in its first year "which is really ambitious for a start-up, but we believe we can do it", £5m by the end of its third year and to be double the size by the end of year five, he said.

"This is not a lifestyle business or something we're doing lightly; we want to make it a success," said Mitchell.